Love Hina: Marked for Death
by nathalist
Summary: Keitaro Urashima, a man who has survived attacks that would send others to their graves. Be it high endurance, dumb luck, or immortality, the Grim Reaper is NOT amused. Death comes for all, and death will claim what is his through any means necessary.
1. Disclaimer

Disclaimer:  
I do not own Love Hina in any way, shape, or form.

Hello and thank you for coming. This story was started a while ago, but life got hectic and by the time I returned to start writing the story again, I did not like how fast the plot progressed. So Marked for Death has been rewritten. There are some barely noticeable minor changes, and major plot changes from the last version. Those that read and gave their opinions on the first version, please be so kind to do the same again. ^^ Just like last time, please excuse any typos or usage errors, or if they are inexcusable, point them out in a review! It would help very much.  
I'd like to personally thank Nilhaldra and Linkwind for their support (and constant nagging to continue to write) and encouragement while I bounced ideas off of them, this one is for you girls.

Story Key:  
Spoken word are in quotations,  
"spoken word"

Thoughts are in italics and single quotes,  
_'thoughts'_


	2. Chapter 1

"Doctor, she's flat lining," a nurse yelled over her shoulder without averting her eyes away from the woman on the stretcher before her.

"Cause," a man with a white lab coat and dark slacks asked, his voice calm.

"Severe trauma to the head."

"Miharu," another man screamed hysterically, his eyes bloodshot from tears, "Miharu! Please be alright!"

"Sir," a second nurse interrupted, "we'll have to ask you to sit in a waiting room."

"No," the man screamed, "I won't leave her!"

"Sir," the nurse pleaded, "you can't! You have to wait here so that we will have the greatest chance to save her."

"That's my wife! I can't leave her!" Just as he said that, the woman on the stretcher was lost behind a set of closing double doors. The medical team hovering over her barking directions left and right before everything went silent.

"Sir," the nurse asked again, "please." She made a gesture towards the waiting lobby.

His shoulders sagged as he gave a defeated sigh. He took the furthest seat in an empty corner, held his face in his hands, and cried softly.

"And what do we have here," another man asked himself. He watched the entire ordeal unravel. "This might be the one I'm looking for." He stood and strolled towards his target. His attire did not fit the setting, black suit wrinkle free with shoes polished to a shine. His slick greased hair seemed to glisten with the florescent light as he moved. "Hard stuff huh," he said in a sympathetic tone.

The husband didn't answer, ignoring his presence all together.

"Henderson," the suit clad man offered, extending his hand.

He looked up and sneered, "I don't need a lawyer, let alone an American one at that."

"You're very astute, what gave me away?"

"Take a hike," the sneer never left, "you won't get anything from me."

"I see," Henderson said as he sat down, taking the insults in stride, "well, you are right about me being American, but I am not a lawyer." The husband gave no response, Henderson continued. With his voice barely above a whisper, he leaned in close and said, "she won't last through the night."

The husband snapped to attention, "excuse me?"

"Not without my help at least," he continued with a toothy grin.

"You son of a bitch! Who in the hell do you think you are!"

Henderson was undeterred by the outburst, "you know, that guy." As he spoke a flash card appeared in his hand. "That guy with the black cloak and hood, and the scythe, and the 'do not ask for whom the bell tolls' phrase?"

The husband stared at the card with disbelief, an image of the grim reaper stared back at him. "Death," he said bluntly, "You're supposed to be the grim reaper? You're supposed to be death?" His question was answered with another toothy grin. What sort of nut case was he dealing with? This man would be hilarious if it was not for the circumstances. "What are you some kind of idiot! Get away from me!"

Henderson shook his head and laughed, "see the pretty little bird sitting on that branch outside the window?" He pointed towards the window, his index and thumb in the shape of a gun. He squawked like a crow as he pulled the trigger.

The bird suddenly fell from its perch and landed in the lap of an elderly woman in a wheelchair. The woman screamed and jerked her body to the side, toppling her oxygen tank and IV over in the process. The sudden commotion startled an elderly man who walked with much assistance from a cane. He lost his footing and fell, screaming and clutching his side from the landing.

The husband stared with disbelief at the scene that played in front of him. He broke his gaze after a group of people began to assist the two fallen seniors. "What are you," he asked with obvious fear.

"I believe we've been over that already, but I really do prefer Henderson. Death sounds so….gloomy." Once again he extended his hand.

The husband took it tentatively, "Wantanabe Issun."

"May I call you Issun?"

"…Sure, that's fine."

"Excellent, excuse me for being so frank but, let's get down to business. It's safe to assume you'd want to save your wife right?"

"O-of course!"

"Good, good," the toothy smile was back, "now, in order for us to get rolling here, you'll have to know what's required of you."

"Required? What my life or something? You want my life for hers?"

"Well aren't you a fast thinker, but I'm not looking for a life, more specifically, I'm in the market for souls."

"So my soul for hers?"

"I will require a soul, or souls in this case, but yours is…ehh...how can I put this….it wont work for this deal."

"….But that's all I have! What am I suppose to do! How can I help her!"

"What I need from you to bring your wife back is your choice of souls, six souls to be exact."

"What? Any souls?"

"Well…not ANY, it has to be souls of people you know or have come in contact with."

"Wait, souls I know? My friends, my family, co-workers, I can't send them to their deaths. They don't' deserve it, even if it is for Miharu's sake."

"Yes, yes, you're right," Henderson said while tapping his chin in deep thought, "here's an idea, how about the people who put your wife in this condition? They deserve it right?"

"Those? But their strangers, I don't know them-"

"Sure you do," Henderson said, cutting him off, a small book appeared in a puff of smoke and fell in Issun's lap.

The first page had five pictures with five names underneath. Issun's head was spinning at how fast things had progressed. He gave Henderson a questionable look, who in turn nodded with a grin and urged him to start reading.

"Konno Mitsune ," he read the first name as if he was asking a question. A document materialized on the table in front of them, the written name appeared incursive writing with gold ink.

"Keep going," Henderson urged, the toothy grin ever present.

"Mahera Shinobu…Kaolla Su…Narusegawa Naru." He froze at the next name, his jaw clinched, the grip on the book was strong enough to bend the hard cover. "Aoyama Motoko," the name was read as if he was addressing an unwelcomed guest on his doorstep. He knew her face well, along with her sword. The face labeled Narusegawa was familiar too.

"And the last name please," Henderson asked, turning to the next page.

There was a rather large headshot of a young man with glasses and a sheepish grin, "Urashima Keitaro."

"Excellent!" The contract re-appeared with an audible poof in Issun's lap, "all I need now is your signature and the deal is done." Issun signed immediately, ignoring the small print, "very good. I have everything I need. All that separates you from your loving wife is time." With that said, Henderson turned to leave.

"Wait," Issun called out, "that's it, what do I do now? Wait?"

"Wait, grieve, sleep, continue with your life as if nothing happened, go into a diabetic shock from an overdose of mountain dew, frankly it doesn't matter. Oooooh but there is one teeny tiny amount of business left now that I think about it."

"What," Issun asked.

"You see, I was sent here to claim your wife's soul. Seeing how I'll be going back empty handed, that will look very bad for me. What I need now is a soul to bring back, and since your name is on the dotted line of the contract." A scythe appeared in Henderson's hands. Before Issun could react, Henderson swung down with all his might. The tip of the scythe impaled the chair next to Issun, who had nearly wet himself. "I'm just pulling your chain guy," he said with a chuckle. Issun gave a nervous laugh, frankly to hide how close he was to ruining his pants. "Careful now, death from fright claims more people than you would think. I would really have to take your soul if that happens."

"Mr. Watanabe, Issun," a nurse called as she emerged from the back room.

Issun rushed over, ignoring Henderson as he went, and had a hushed conversation with the nurse. Henderson did not have to eavesdrop to know what the topic was. His wife lives, and will make a full recovery when the terms of the contract are met.

Henderson turned, walked through the waiting room without being seen, and strolled out the main door. His grin stretched from one ear to another. He got what he came for, now it was time to go to work, poor Issun is counting on him.


	3. Chapter 2

"Get back here you pervert," Keitaro heard from behind as he frantically ran through Tokyo International Airport. "You can't get away!"

"It was an accident! I swear," he pleaded to both his love interest and frequent source of pain.

"Being a pervert is not an accident! Forcing yourself on a woman in a crowded line is not an accident!"

Keitaro mentally cursed himself. '_How could I let myself be so stupid! I should have known something like this would happen_'

The accident in question occurred at a busy food counter. Keitaro ordered and paid for his meal, and as he turned around, his shoulder ever so slightly brushed Kitsune's breast. "Oh Keitaro, not here, wait till we get home," she said with a wink and a chuckle. Naru saw the incident, it was enough to light her short fuse.

And so, Keitaro found himself running for his life through a busy airport. He made a sharp right turn to dodge a high pile of luggage. He lost his footing as he did so, and toppled head over heels onto his back.

Naru stood above him, her knuckles cracking loudly as her rage built. Keitaro was far from surrendering, he hopped to his feet, toppling over another luggage pile in the process, and continued his run for survival. He looked over his shoulder and to his surprise, Naru was slow on the uptake, the pile of luggage held her back.

Just as Keitaro thought he got a break, he was thrown a curveball. Because he was looking over his shoulder rather than straight ahead, he did not see a woman suddenly cross his path. They collided and fell to the ground with a painful moan.

"Ouch," the woman groaned as she rubbed her head.

"I'm so sorry," Keitaro said in a panic, helping the woman to her feet.

"It's okay," she said as she slowly stood and met Keitaro's eyes. Both of them stood there, staring at each other, dumbfounded. Despite a few obvious details, namely age, and gender, both could pass for identical twins. Keitaro had little time to be amazed however, over her shoulders he clearly saw Naru and Motoko scanning the crowd. Without warning Keitaro ran, ignoring the protests of the other in his wake.

"Urashima," Motoko's voice boomed, "I know of your lecherous actions here! You will pay!" With a slide of the wrist, Motoko sword was firmly in her hands. "Rock Splitting Sword!"

The woman turned to see what the commotion was about. Just as her eyes met Motoko's, she was thrown back by an invisible force. The back of her skull crashed loudly against the floor. Blood instantly pooled on the ground from her wound. Motoko and Naru stood without moving, shell shocked.

"Miharu," a man screamed, "oh my god, Miharu! What happened! " The man's screaming was drawing a crowd. There were shouts calling for an ambulance, paramedics, a first aid kit, anything the airport would carry to help the situation.

"What have I done," Motoko asked herself out loud, fear obvious in her voice. Naru was not one to question her actions, not in the presence of so many people, she took Motoko by her wrist and ran. The last thing they heard was the man's hysterical cries, "wake up! Please Miharu, wake up!"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Motoko woke from her slumber in a cold sweat. 3:30 flashed in bright red print from her dresser drawer. Three days had passed since the incident, and with each night, the same scenario haunted her dreams. She felt sick to her stomach. In a very un-lady like fashion she rushed to the nearest bathroom and emptied what little contents her stomach held. After the dry heave stopped, she stood on her feet. The room was bright and spinning, her legs threatened to give out from beneath her. She griped the sink with both hands and looked at the face in the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes, her hair was unkempt, her pupils were bloodshot, and her skin was pale. She knew from experience that sleep would not come tonight. She grudgingly made her way to Hinata Sou's roof. Maybe a few katas would give her some comfort.

Naru's luck at sleeping was just as bad as Motoko's. Once again, she was awakened by her own screaming. Although she convinced herself daily that Motoko was the one who gave the striking blow, her conscious would not let her walk away so freely. It was Naru that told Motoko of what Keitaro had done, and it was Naru who pointed him out of the crowd. It would have also been her that would have added insult to injury by adding more injury, if that man hadn't started screaming his head off. She refused to acknowledge that fact, she told herself that she was not at fault, Motoko was to blame.

Just like the previous three nights, Naru turned her attention to the vibrating kido doll that covered the hole in her floor, and as expected, Keitaro's head poked through.

"Naru, are you okay? I heard screaming."

Naru turned away, she couldn't look him in the eyes, '_they look so damned similar!_' "Baka! What have I told you about coming in my room without warning!" Her anger hid her true feelings very well. "Leave!"

"Naru, I-"

"LEAVE!"

Without another word, Keitaro slinked back into his room, replacing the floorboard as he went.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kitsune's eyes snapped open from her alcohol induced sleep. She looked at the clock on the wall and was shocked to see that it was 5 a.m. She sat up in her bed and stretched as her head throbbed in protest. With a grumble she threw her legs on the floor, her bones ached as if she hadn't moved in years. A quick survey of her room reminded her that last night had ended like so many others before. A half dozen receipts from the horse track was shredded near a small garbage can. Empty sake bottles covered her dresser, and the door to her secret stash was cracked ajar. Usually such antics would ensure that she would sleep throughout the morning and into the afternoon. She did not give the idea much thought, there was something that demanded her immediate attention.

"Ugh, my head," she moaned as she shuffled towards the bottles. After closing the secret door she turned towards the window. Maybe fresh air would help with her headache, even if the air was before sunrise. She stuck her head out and took a deep breath. Her headache was just as fierce, but the air was a welcome change from her stuffy room.

'_Kendo girl is at it again'._ She heard the swipes from the inn roof, along with Motoko's unsatisfied grunts at her poor performance. ' _Poor thing_,'Kitsune thought as she shook her head and turned. At the last moment she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Curiosity getting the better of her, she turned at gazed out the window again. A figure moved along the darkness. She rubbed her eyes and took another look. "Hmm," she mused out loud, the figure was gone, "must be the hangover."

Without her knowledge, Henderson stalked Hinata Sou, and without his, Kitsune saw him for the briefest of moments. He walked towards his target, who he could clearly see from his position. He stopped along the wall, and as if he was on an elevator, he was carried mid air to the roof.

Motoko froze, the hair on the back of her head stood on end. She span around on her heel, her sword pointed directly behind her.

"Motoko! Motoko it's me," Keitaro shrieked as he fell over backwards.

Motoko shook her head, "I apologize, I was….startled."

Keitaro looked at her with a quizzical look, he knew Motoko was not one to apologize. "Are you alright," he asked while he got back on his feet, concern apparent in his voice.

An image of Keitaro's twin flashed through her head. "I'm fine," she said, the crack in her voice said otherwise.

"Motoko," Keitaro said again, his voice pleaded with her.

"I said I'm fine," she snapped, then winced immediately afterwards.

"You can talk to me," Keitaro said ignoring her outburst.

"If one does not wish to be bothered you should leave them be," she said as she sheathed her sword and walked passed him.

Keitaro found himself alone again, did he do something wrong? First Naru, now Motoko. Their usual response would be to send him flying across the sky. Something was definitely off, but he had no idea what. He shrugged and made a mental note to investigate later. Right now a long list of chores called him. He recalled why he woke up so early to begin with. The roof needed retiling, he knew that that would be a time consuming task. If he hurried, he could have a good head start.

Henderson stood undetected on the roof edge. With a snap of his fingers a scythe appeared in hand. With a wicked grin, he stalked Keitaro and held his reaping tool above his head.

"Keitaro," a voice asked questionably behind him. Both he and Henderson turned towards the stairs leading towards the floor below. Kitsune stood wearing a large shirt over a nightgown, "that a friend of yours?"

Keitaro turned over his shoulder, Henderson stood, frozen with fear of detection, scythe still raised above his head. "What are you talking about, I don't see anyone. Are you alright?"

Kitsune took a good look at the figure behind Keitaro, "maybe my eyes are still playin' tricks. Must've had a lot to drink."

Keitaro grinned, the first sign of normal behavior he had seen in a long while. "Yes, that's probably it. Anyway, what are you doing up here?"

"Oh nothin'. I was just awake so I went for a walk. Saw what happened between you and Motoko."

Keitaro grinned and scratched the back of his head, "oh you saw that? Usually I would be flying through the sky right now. I wonder what's going on with Motoko…Naru too."

"You mean you don't know?"

"Hmm?" Keitaro's asked, "don't know what?"

"You really don't know," she asked. Naru told her shortly after the incident. She thought everyone else would have known by now. "I'll fill you in, over somethin' to drink."

Henderson watch the two as they left. '_She saw me! How can she see me! I'm suppose to be a ghost with this thing!' _The thing he referred to was the scythe in his hand.

A thick book poofed into existence and dropped in his free hand. "Konno, Mitsune Konno," he said to himself as he flipped through the pages. "Lets see…20 years old…journalism career hopeful…resident drunk, unremarkable in every aspect, no reason as why she would be able to see the supernatural." He threw the book over his shoulder, it poofed with another cloud of smoke as it disappeared. "Hmm, maybe I should study these people a bit more. Don't want to make this more complicated than it has to be."

The sun rose to Henderson's left. As it did so, the nearby tea house began to serve its first customers of the day. "Urashima, Haruka," he mused out loud. In a matter of seconds, Henderson had an idea. The scythe disappeared, and he made his way towards the tea house.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Those that knew Haruka Urashima knew that she was not one to beat around the bush. Idle chit chat was not one of her strong suits, and frankly she didn't care for scuttlebutt. Henderson however, had the misfortune of thinking that his charm and fast talking would carry him closer to his goal. He strolled into the tea house, scanning the room for anyone that had the look of a proprietor.

He found his target immediately, but deciding not to rush in, he ordered something light with a cup of tea. He had no need for food or drink, the order was only for appearances. He toyed with his plate until a few more people started to show. Two hours had passed, he waited long enough.

"Excuse me," he asked, approaching a woman with a cigarette between her lips. "Do you know the owner of this establishment?" He flashed a smile, making sure to show plenty of teeth.

"That's me," Haruka answered without breaking her focus from the tea house's financial records.

"Oh, what a lovely place you have here, but it fails to compare to your beauty."

Haruka stopped during mid task and gave Henderson a hard stare, "what do you want?"

Henderson was not one to dwell on failure. Taking note that his charm would not help him here, he suddenly adopted a business demeanor, "yes, I'm looking for the person that is responsible for this." He gave her a photo.

Haruka studied it carefully, she instantly knew what she saw, Su's signature on her inventions, an insignia resembling three eyes. Not liking Henderson's choice of words, she chose to play the fool, "sorry, never seen it before."

'"I see," Henderson said, instantly noticing her bluff, "that's unfortunate."

"I could ask around," Haruka offered, her tone of voice never changing. She knew her guest saw through her fib, but he would not be so rash as to call her a liar, not in her own tea shop. He would be thrown out on his ear.

"That would be great," Henderson gushed, taking the offer in stride. "I was sent here as a representative of the Fukinama Corporation."

"The robotics company," Haruka asked, slightly curious of how a corporation could trace anything of Su's back to Hinata Sou.

"Hey Haruka," Su screamed as she burst through the front door. "Lookie Lookie!"

Henderson turned towards the commotion, Haruka sighed and face palmed (A/N: for lack of a better term, face palm and sweat dropped will be used ALOT).

Completely ignoring her guest, Su gave a device resembling a PDA to Haruka.

Henderson was quick to notice the emblem on the back. He grinned, took an empty seat, and crossed his legs. He would have to thank Su one day, she unknowingly help him pass his first roadblock.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What's going on Kitsune? Why are Motoko and Naru acting so weird?"

Kitsune took a long swallow from her tea to steady her nerves. "Keitaro, when we were at the airport? You remember what happened right?"

The events played out in Keitaro's head. Motoko and Naru were chasing him, but through some miracle, he escaped without harm. "Are Motoko and Naru still mad at me for that? But it was an accident! I should go apologize."

"No no no," Kitsune corrected, "you had nothin' to do with what happened. They did somethin' that they can't look you in the face for."

"I don't understand," Keitaro said, "what could have happened?"

"They killed someone," she said bluntly.

Keitaro gave her a blank stare, "Kitsune," he began with a chuckle, "you shouldn't joke about something like that. It's so convincing it's a bit scary."

She solemnly shook her head.

"Kitsune, Naru and Motoko aren't murderers, they would never-"

He was cut off by Kitsune throwing a newspaper ad in front of him. He read the context slowly. "Woman dies at hospital from freak accident at Tokyo airport ….leaves behind a widowed husband...oh my god."

Kitsune took the article from him and folded the page back. She placed the photo of the victim in front of him, "look familiar?"

"She looks like me," he realized instantly. "She's the…I ran into this woman! What happened!"

"Keitaro," Kitsune interrupted.

"This person died because of me! Because of…mistaken identity! Because I had to be a pervert!"

"Keitaro," she said louder.

"Oh my god," he slumped down in his chair, "it's all my fault…it's all my fault."

"KEITARO!"

Keitaro jumped in his seat, startled.

"This is not your fault. It's no ones fault…..she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Kitsune…..how could you say that….you don't believe that."

Kitsune hung her head, "No, I don't, but that's what I've been sayin' to Naru to try to get her to come around, but she won't nibble at the bait."

"….Shinobu and Su, do they know?"

"No tellin'….its been on the news since it happened… could've already seen it."

"I'll talk to them," Keitaro said as he stood, "they wouldn't know what to think."

"Oh no you don't, not alone, I'm comin' with you."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, here she is," Haruka began, "Su, this is….I didn't get your name."

"Oh, so sorry, where are my manners? James Henderson."

"Nice to meet you mister, you have funny hair, it looks like fur covered in oil."

Henderson gave a nervous chuckle, "isn't she cute."

Haruka held the smallest of grin's, '_I tried, she's your problem now buddy.'_

"You want to see my work," Su asked suddenly.

Henderson was caught off guard by her forwardness, "why, yes I do, is there anything special you'd like to share?"

"Sure! Follow me!" With that Su ran up the main stairs in leaps and bounds.

"Su," Keitaro asked, "who's your friend," Keitaro asked as he, Kitsune, Su, and Henderson entered the main room.

"Keitaro," she screamed as she leapt on his shoulders, "fur head man wants to see my toys!"

Henderson strained to keep a grin the grin on his face. "She's adorable! So cute! I could just take her home!" '_Her first! I'll reap her first! Make her death a painful one!'_

"Isn't that nice," Keitaro offered as he sweat dropped. "We'll, Su is our little genius around here. I'm sure you'll find her creations very….interesting."

"Oh I'm sure," Henderson agreed with a smile. He turned towards Kitsune, "and you are?"

Kitsune looked at his outstretched hand, then in his eyes, "think I'll pass."

"Kitsune! That's rude," Keitaro reprimanded.

"That's quite alright, I understand not wanted to be bothered by strange people in your home so early. Why, you people probably haven't had a chance to eat breakfast yet have you? I'll only take a moment of your time." Henderson was a superb actor. In his head he knew that Kitsune would most likely not trust him. Human life was truly fascinating. The body could experience something without the conscious mind knowing about it, and act on those experiences later. Her experience would have been seeing him with a scythe above head a few hours ago.

"My toys are this way," Su said as she took Henderson by the wrist and led him away.

"I don't trust him" Kitsune said just as Su and her guest was out of earshot.

"Him? But he seems so nice." Keitaro was oblivious.

"I know a con when I smell one."

"A con? You're being ridiculous."

"Either way, I don't think Su should be left alone with him."

"I'm more worried about his safety if he's alone with Su," Keitaro deadpanned.

"Ok fine! Just make sure nothin' happens! You're the manager after all," she ordered while she span him around and shoved him towards the stairs. "And don't mention you-know-what until we can talk to her in private." She flopped onto the couch after he was gone. Something is not right here, she could feel it. Her gut feeling, instincts, and women's intuition were all waving red flags.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shinobu was the only resident of Hinata Sou to enjoy a full night's sleep. She rose from her bed, pulled open the shades and welcomed the sun's warm embrace. After changing out of her pajamas into something more suited for around the house, she left her room. '_Everyone is awake already? I didn't oversleep did i?'_

She rushed through the hall and down the stairs and to her surprise, Kitsune was sprawled over the couch. "Hello Kitsune-san."

"Hey there Shinobu, so this is when you're normally out and about huh?"

"Yes," she said with a blush and a slight nod, "are you hungry."

"I could eat, but this waking up at the crack of dawn, it's not for me. I'll just sleep late to make up for it tomorrow."

"Haha, that's not good Kitsune-san. "

"Oh hush, tomorrow is Sunday, that's what they are there for, to allow people to sleep till 5 in the afternoon!"

Shinobu laughed and headed towards the kitchen. Being the living ball of efficiency that she is, the table was set and breakfast was underway in a matter of moments. "Is Naru- sempai joining us for breakfast today? She's been very sad, I wonder what happened."

Kitsune couldn't' bare to tell her the truth, not at the moment, "she's just feelin' a bit under the weather, nothin' to worry about. I'll bring a plate for her."

"Okay," she answered over her shoulder while chopping veggies and meat.


	4. Chapter 3

Henderson was nearly bored to death of Su's room. He had no interest in whatever gadgets she had thrown together, or the jungle habitat that was her sleeping quarters. He would give anything to end her annoying blabbering, but he did not expect a chaperone. He looked at Keitaro and gave a friendly grin, who in return gave a nod and a smile. Even though Su had successfully irritated Henderson to the point to where he was fantasizing about reaping the little girl, he would not act. His one and only focus was Keitaro, the others could be claimed as collateral damage or not.

The situation was not entirely hopeless however. He did want a chance to study the residents before trying to gather souls, and his knowledge of Su's was growing by the minute. The more he knew of Hinata Sou's residents, the better chance he could avoid surprises such as Kitsune on the roof. His notes so far described Su as some sort of mad scientist, a hyper active mad scientist, but no talents relating to the supernatural.

A quick thought crossed his mind of simply reaping everyone in one fell swoop. He would drag them all, kicking and screaming, to the underworld below. It would certainly save him a lot of time.

"But this one," Su gushed loudly, knocking Henderson from his thoughts and causing him to look at her, "is really really fun!" She produced a remote and started to play with the controls. From a corner of the room, a small, pink, balloon shaped animal leapt from a pedestal and onto the floor.

"That's a robot," Keitaro asked truly astonished, "it looks so real, and so familiar."

"Jiggly," the robot said as it attempted to walk and fell over.

"Pokemon," Henderson asked, who was also surprised. He reaped many a soul of parents whose kids were distracted by playing the games and watching the show.

"Mmhmm," Su nodded happily, "but this one is from Super Smash Bros! It even has attacks!"

"Attacks," both Keitaro and Henderson asked at the same time.

Without another word she pressed a button on the remote, Jigglypuff waddled towards the two.

Henderson wisely backed away. _'Mad scientist,'_ he recalled his notes, _'that makes inventions with a knack for exploding.'_ He knew to show caution during one of her demonstrations. Keitaro however, had not learned his lesson. Jigglypuff stopped just short of Keitaro and looked up.

"There's a move in the game, where Jigglypuff puts itself to sleep…but the funny thing is…"

Jigglypuff hopped onto Keitaro's chest and fell asleep, just as it did so, Keitaro was knocked up and away, through the walls. It was as if he was shot from a cannon.

Henderson fell over from shock, "what was that!"

"That's Jigglypuff's rest attack! I like it sooooo much!"

"Oh my god will he be alright!" Henderson played the role of the concerned witness very well.

"Keitaro? Oh sure, he'll be fine, now, on to my next invention."

"Oh my god," he yelled again as he ran from her room. He made his way through the inn while being as theatrical as he could. He plowed through the front door and ran from the hotel grounds, much like a scared child.

Haruka saw Henderson as he ran and nearly fell down the stairs. She shook her head, "the poor fool had no idea what he was getting himself into."

As Henderson reached the bottom step, his scythe materialized in his hands, he bent his knees and flew into the air, chasing after Keitaro.

"Reaper flight don't fail me now," he said with obvious glee. After taking a hit like that, there is no way Keitaro would have survived, he would make sure of it.

Keitaro was not one to land gracefully when he was sent on his frequent impromptu flights over store rooftops and houses. He crashed in a nearby children's playground, demolishing the swing set on his landing. Henderson was not far behind, he skillfully made a soft landing beside his target. There were spectators, but it did not matter. With the unfathomable exception of Kitsune, Henderson could not be seen with the scythe in his hands. With a wicked grin, he held the scythe high above his head and impaled Keitaro's chest, a pale white spirit left the body immediately.

"That was easy," Henderson said, patting himself on the back.

"What was easy," someone asked from behind him.

Henderson turned to find a sharply dressed Korean man. His attire was identical to Henderson's in every way, from the greased hair and the polished shoes, to the scythe in his hands.

"Sae Oh," Henderson said with a grin, "you're a little far from North and South Korea aren't you?"

"I could say the same to you," he countered, "this looks nothing like the USA."

"True, very true, but that's my business, not yours."

"You came for the immortal didn't you," Sae Oh said bluntly.

"Now what ever gave you that idea?" Henderson answered with a grin. "Were you not intrigued? This person has defied death for two years. He's lived through beatings, explosions, and crash landings that would kill other men. The file said he was un-reapable. But within a few hours of arriving, I get the job done."

"So you admit to abandoning your region and reaping out of your area?"

"So what if I am? What are you going to do, tell on me? Aren't we a little too old for taddle-telling?"

"Its fortunate that you do realize the grim reaper will be informed." Short and blunt statements, Sae Oh was not much of a conversationalist.

"What is this," Henderson said, the grin ever present, "I get it. I simply did the job before you could get here, and that just irks the hell out of you, doesn't it?"

"You are wrong. I was sent here with an assignment, to observe."

"Observe? We meet the un-reapable and all you want to do is watch?" Henderson shook his head, "and that's why-"

"My orders came from death himself. The real death, not the common version you painted to get a hold of an illegal soul contract, which you did not fulfill."

"Course I did, Wantanabe Miharu will remain stable in the hospital and make a full recovery after I reap the immortal. Which I just finished just before you arrived thank-you-very-much."

"She passed, shortly after you left the hospital." Sae Oh snapped his fingers, and the contract materialized in front of him. "Since you did not meet your expectations, the contract is null and void." With another snap, the parchment spontaneously burst into flames before disappearing altogether.

"What are you doing!" A rare outburst from Henderson.

"This means that you have been attempting to reap someone who is not supposed to die," Sae Oh continued, "outside of your region. I assume you know the consequences of your actions." With one final snap of his fingers, both Sae Oh and Henderson disappeared.

Without realizing what just took place, Keitaro stood and stretched his limbs. "Jigglypuff…hurts!" He stretched his back with a groan and began making his way back to Hinata Sou. "Ridiculous explosions…Su will be the death of me one day."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mmmmm," Kitsune said from her position from the couch, "smells good Shinobu!" She grinned to herself and counted in her head, "_3…2…..1"_

"FOOD," Su squealed happily as she hopped down the stairs.

"Hehe, Su's never one to miss the food bell! Where's your guest?"

"Who," Su asked, her mind completely focused on the food in the pots and pans.

"…The man with the furry head?"

"Ooooh, Jigglypuff made him run away, that means more food for me!"

Kitsune knew better than to ask for details when Su's creations are involved. "Alight then, what about Keitaro….and Motoko?"

"Jigglypuff made Keitaro go away too! That means his plate is mine!"

Kitsune laughed while Shinobu shrieked from the kitchen, "Su please! We have to wait for everyone to arrive. We have to wait for sempai and the others!"

"Just save them somethin' on a plate while its still there to save Shinobu. You know how Su is, if it's not tied down, it's fair game."

Shinobu sighed as she did as she was told. Su piled food on her plate and began eating. Kitsune began to wonder about the missing guests. Keitaro's absence is explained, but Motoko and Naru. _'How much longer will those two sit around and mope?' _She made a mental note to see Naru later, but for now, she had to stake her claim on the disappearing food in the kitchen.


	5. Chapter 4

The journey to the underworld is depressing and nightmarish. It begins by meeting Charon, a skeleton that serves as the ferryman to river Styx. Across the river stands a huge gate with the three headed hound known as Cerberus as its guard. After passing through the gate, a path leads incoming souls to a structure that resembles a massive cathedral.

To those that recently passed and are making the trek for the first time, the journey hammers in the fact that: _Yes, you are indeed dead. _The walk through the cathedral's grand hall serves to intimidate. The décor, the atmosphere, the mere size of the room: _You will soon be in the presence of the entity death_.

Henderson however has been here one too many times. He was un-impressed with his first trip, and thoroughly bored with each trip after. "This always reminds me of how huge old bones ego is," he said as he and his superior walked through the grand hall.

Sae Oh had a retort, but let it pass. The one thing the Grim Reaper demanded above all else was respect. Bickering in his presence would not be tolerated.

"Seriously," Henderson continued, "this hall is here to build intimidation and fear into the sorry souls that have to walk it. The first time I was here I hocked a loogie, it was great. "

"You're as troublesome as ever," a woman answered as they approached the end. Her attire matched her male counterparts. Black dress suit with black high heeled shoes and tie. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a braided ponytail, and thick black framed glasses covered her blue eyes.

Henderson rolled his eyes. _'Oh joy, the Greek reaper is here.'_

"Theoxenia," Sae Oh greeted, "death is not here?"

"I'm afraid not," she answered, "is there something urgent that needs his attention?"

Sae Oh thought for a moment, "an unimportant matter, nothing that warrants a immediate visit."

A vein popped in Henderson's head, _'The audacity of this guy!'_

"You are not to leave the underworld," Sae Oh said over his shoulder to Henderson, "the Grim Reaper will hear of your antics and will decide on the next course of action."

Henderson turned on his heel and quickly left the building. He would not give those two the satisfaction of seeing him irritated. Although they probably already saw, and refused to acknowledge it, which irritated Henderson more so. As soon as he made his way outside and met the view of river Styx, his frustrated rant began.

"Who in the hell do those two think they are! I show some initiative unlike most of the other lay-a-bouts around here and suddenly I have to explain myself to the Grim Reaper!" The thought of the grim reaper made Henderson spit in the river. As far as he was concerned, the Grim Reaper was only a pseudo-leader. A figure head to a hierarchy of reapers who collects souls of the recently passed who, instead of dealing with them himself, has everyone drop the souls at the feet of those two tightwads Sae Oh and Theoxenia! North Korea and Greece are certainly not on top of the food chain in the living world, it's anyone's guess how in the blue hell that happened in the underworld! (A/N: I meant no offense with this comment, none what so ever.)

Really! The idea is ludicrous at best! Here he was, a man plucked from the prime of his life, bought to the underworld to serve DEATH, only to find that Death is not concerned about the day to day operations at all! In his time in the underworld, Death had not so much as made an appearance! Then again, why would he? After assigning a couple of reapers to each country he has time to do what he damn well pleases! Heaven forbid he is distracted from whatever all important task to tend to the recently dead, let alone meet and greet his reapers!

Henderson screamed out of frustration as he threw a nearby rock into the river Styx. The Grim Reaper would probably not hear about this anyway, Henderson wouldn't be surprised if Sae Oh was just blowing smoke and threw around the Grim Reaper threat just for the hell of it.

"Tough times huh," a voice said from behind.

"Toyokuro," Henderson greeted with a smile. On the inside he was still fuming, but he masked it well in the presence of company. Toyokuro Dato is the current active reaper for Japan, and the reaper who bought Henderson kicking and screaming to the underworld. Two reapers failed to catch Henderson before Toyokuro, by the time Henderson was made aware of his reaper duties, he found great respect for the man.

"You went after the immortal, didn't you?" Toyokuro asked. It was he who made the report after failing to reap Keitaro's soul.

"Can you blame me? What would that do for me if I bought him in?"

"Toyokuro sat on the ground, staring out in to the river. "Well, if I couldn't reap Urashima, what makes you think you can?"

"Hey hey, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just tired of being in the doghouse you know? You remember how it was when I first arrived here."

"You did set the bar pretty high, killing two reapers is a feat that has not been repeated yet, but you'll have to take your time and pick your spots. Miracles do not happen over night, they didn't when we were alive, and they certainly do not now."

"I can't do that! Everyone here is content with just shuffling along, going through the motions, day in and day out. I've been here for 80 years and nothing has changed! No push through the ranks, no new reapers, no new opportunities, nothing!"

"You still have to play the role of the new guy," Toyokuro said with a laugh, "I was here for 177 years before another reaper died. Besides, what's the rush?"

Henderson took a deep breath and released, frustration made his body twitch as he did so.

"Oh I see, you believe the re-incarnation rumor? You do you that that is all it is right, a rumor. If you were to attempt that, you'd be severely punished. And between you and me, Sae Oh looks like the type that would enjoy cracking the whip against someone that's been restrained to a wall."

A long moment passed as Henderson said nothing, he threw a rock into the river, it skipped four times before sinking.

"I've been here for 991 years my friend," Toyokuro continued, "even if I was re-incarnated, what would I have from my past? My family is long gone. Whatever status I held is just a footnote in history IF my name is mentioned in the school textbooks. My memories are all I have, I can enjoy them here as much as anywhere else. I found you…when was that, 80 years ago? What's left for you in America if you waltz back up there right now?"

"…I can't see why you're content."

"Simple," Toyokuro said with another laugh, "I will find myself somewhere worse than this if I left. Like where the other spirits that come here have to stay, and believe me, the alternative is definitely better than being there."

"…Toyokuro, have you ever seen the Grim Reaper?"

"Old bones? I thought I did when I first died, but that was just Japan's reaper at the time. You plan to bring a written complaint to his drop box or something?"

Henderson skipped another rock into the river, if only seeing Death was that simple. "Sae Oh says that I have to wait for the Grim Reaper's say so before I can leave again. I'm going straight for Urashima when I do."

Toyokuro shrugged and shook his head, "if that's what you feel you have to do. But when I reported him, Sae Oh said he would take care of things personally, so I haven't glanced at Urashima since. If you do plan to steal the grand prize from under Sae Oh's nose, you'd better be ready to run when you do. There won't be many places you can turn to for help. You, your friends and family, your old life, no matter how untimely it may have been, are all dead, keep that in mind."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

James Henderson's death was untimely indeed. His last living moments was spent with four other men. They were all dressed business attire and sat around conference table. The meeting took place in a rather large board room on the 14th floor of a high rise building. Other than the ticking of a wall clock, the room was silent. The year was 1929, there had been wild rumors floating around the streets of New York that morning, rumors that could affect many lives.

The air was tense. Henderson and the others sat deep in thought while they waited on the arrival of the errand boy that was sent to Wall Street earlier that day. Attendants appeared with food and beverages occasionally. The men present had agreed to no consumption of alcohol that morning, even though much was needed. Henderson had not given so much as a glance to the plate in front of him. There was too much to think of. The week before, he, along with the four men present invested heavily in a number of stocks: US Steel, cotton, tobacco, and a number of private corporations.

There were two quick knocks at the door before a young man entered and took a seat at the table. His entrance was watched very carefully by there others present.

"Well," one of them asked immediately, no pleasantries or food was offered to him.

He shook his head and passed a sheet of paper to the group.

A rather fat man with beady eyes snatched the paper before anyone else could and quickly skimmed the note.

"…Oh god no," he mumbled before slouching in his chair.

"This is it," another man said, reading the expression oh his face, "this is it…we're ruined!"

"I told you idiots we should have sold sooner!"

"Liar! You wanted to ride the gravy train for as long as you could!"

"I wanted no part of this what so ever!"

"Would you all be quiet," Henderson shouted. The other four continue to shout at once, hurling insults and accusations at one another.

"This is an outrage! I…I won't live like a beggar on the street."

"We're all beggars now! Everything's gone."

"This is your fault you son of a bitch," the fat man yelled as he pointed a finger at Henderson. "It was you who bought this idea to the table!"

Henderson stood, "not only did you convince all of us to buy into the market while prices were rising, you chose the companies! Instead of pointing the finger, help figure out a way to not lose our money!"

The fat man had heard enough, he charged at Henderson, pushing aside two others as he did so, and landed a wild punch on Henderson's chin. The two that were knocked aside joined in on the fray, swinging madly at anything that moved. The final man left out, the one that refused to live as a beggar, could not accept his new found poverty, he ran to a large window on the other side of the room, broke the class, and jumped trough it. The messenger that delivered the bad news had long since fled the room.

Henderson had found himself on his back, pinned by the fat man in a full mount. His hands searched for something, anything that he could use to his advantage. A crystal drinking glass. Good enough.

Henderson swung in a full arc, shattering the glass on the big man's skull. The man screeched in pain and rolled off. One of the remaining two men pounced on the fat guy, the other tackled Henderson as he tried to stand.

Henderson now found himself pinned against a wall. His opponent was considerably smaller than the first. One could venture a guess that this man was rather meek in daily life and avoided confrontation. The only reason he raised a hand now was in his new found rage. The force of his tackle may have pinned Henderson, but rage alone could not hold him. Henderson wrapped his hands around the meek's throat and pushed forward. The two men fell over on the large table that dominated the room. A chair smashed on Henderson's back caused his body to go limp. The fat man was back on his feet, his face and hair a bloody mess. His opponent was thrown out another window. Henderson was battered and dazed, but far from finished. The fat guy reached for another chair, but was stopped by a well thrown plate by the meek, it shattered on his head. More pieces of kitchenware that would have to be pulled out by a coroner. Henderson rose to his feet again, a bit slower this time around. He held his head and stumbled to a wall. He looked at the other two in the room, they were too busy with one another to notice him.

He grabbed a chair of his own and rushed to the fat guy's backside. Whether it was intentional or lucky, the fat guy fell to his side. The chair smashed into pieces on the face of the meek. There was enough force in the swing to twist his neck and rattle the man's brain in his skull, he was dead before he hit the floor.

The fat guy rushed towards Henderson again, who dodged with a timely side step of his own and sent him charging at the last unbroken window in the room. The fat guy was able to stop himself from taking swan dive off the 14th floor of the high rise. His head went through the window, but nothing else. Henderson tackled the man from his back side, trying to give him the extra push that was needed to send him falling to his death. Unfortunately for Henderson, the force was enough to send both crashing through. Henderson managed to grab the ledge and hold on for dear life. Broken glass tore through his hand and blood oozed through it instantly. The fat guy had the same stroke of luck, his two hands clamped around Henderson's ankle.

The extra weight put a huge strain on his grip. If Henderson could not lose the excess baggage, both of them would plummet to their deaths. The fat guy came to the same conclusion, but instead of concentrating on self preservation, he turned his head sideways and bit down on Henderson's ankle.

Henderson screamed and immediately started to kick himself free. With every kick Henderson gave, his grip on ledge loosened and the bite on his ankle tightened. A well place kick buried the tip of his heel into one of the fat man's bloody eyes. The fat man's mouth opened wide as he screamed from pain. Henderson took that chance to grind his heel into the fingers latched around his ankle. After a desperate struggle between the two of them, the fat man found himself unable to hold on. He tried to regain his grip, but failed to do so. With one final kick, Henderson felt the extra weight slip from his ankle.

He did not look down as his adversary fell, for fear of getting sick and losing his own grip on the ledge. He then thought of his situation. In order to save himself, he would have to grip the ledge with both hands, and pull himself inside.

At that moment, the ledge resembled the bottom half of a sharks' mouth, row upon row behind yet another row of jagged glass.

Blood continued to leak from his glass impaled hand has he hung. His mangled hand had to be in horrible condition, there was no feeling in it.

Nevertheless, the choice was easy to make. Of course he would do everything in his power to survive, even if he would have to sacrifice his other hand as well. Unfortunately for him, his life was out of his hands. A woman eight stories above him also made the suicidal leap. She collided with Henderson, there was more than enough force to rip Henderson's grip from the ledge. More blood splattered as the glass literally split his hand in half between his middle and ring finger.

To Henderson's surprise, his eyelids fluttered open after his fall. Even more surprising was the fact that he could feel all of his limbs. He wiggled his fingers and toes, then bent his knees and tried his neck, everything was in working order! He stood and looked up at the floor that he and most of his business associates fell from. Fourteen stories off of the ground, there was no possible reason why he should have survived the fall, let alone walk away unscathed. He looked down and wiggled his fingers again, staring at them in disbelief that they were in working order. Then he saw it, or he saw himself in this case. His corpse, a bloody and tangled mess on the concrete, lay in front of him. His three other associates that took the plunge were nearby, lifeless on the ground also. His body looked out of place, a young man in his mid 20's laying in the street with three older men.

"You're dead," a woman's voice said from his left. He turned to find a group of people gathered together. There were quite a few faces he recognized from the building he was just in. Just as he was about to ask why were they gathered here, another body fell in front of him. The impact was sickening. The eyes bulged as the head met the pavement. Limbs twisted, bones snapped and the back turned at a disgusting angle after the spine was snapped in half.

Henderson felt as is he needed to vomit, and turned around to do so, only to be surprised that nothing came with the dry heave. What a horrible way to die! Had his body danced the same thing when he crashed onto the pavement? He refused to let his mind imagine what he must have looked like when it happened. That would be an image he would rather not have!

"Sick isn't it," the woman asked from the group, speaking to him again. Judging from their faces, they were some of the first to leap from the building, and had the _pleasure _to watch others as they hit the ground.

"So what now," Henderson asked as he approached the group.

"That's what we all would like to know-"

"I can answer that," a man said with a somber voice as he approached the group. Henderson took note of his attire. Black suit and tie, shoes polished to a shine, his bald head glistened with the morning sun as he moved. "Leave this world and join the next."

"And how do you know that," someone snapped from the group, "and who in the blue hell are you suppose to be!"

"I am death. I am your guide. You all have chosen to end your lives, and in doing so have severed all ties in this world. Come with me, and I will lead you to the next."

The group obeyed with little objection, they did take their own lives to avoid wallowing in poverty. Henderson however did not take his own life. No matter what an overly dressed lunatic said, he would not simply leave everything behind. He had a family, ambition, and unlike his four late colleagues, he had a nice nest egg to rely on in emergency situations. There was no way he could turn his back on what he had. As the group of souls followed the man that claimed to be death, Henderson slipped into an alleyway and ran.


	6. Chapter 5

"Dead," Henderson said in his mind over and over again. Could he possibly be dead? An image of his own broken and bloody corpse passed through his mind. There was no room for doubt, he was indeed dead.

Night had fallen by the time Henderson reached his home. After leaving the group earlier that day, he wandered aimlessly, trying to come to terms with the fact that he was dead. He couldn't possibly leave everything he worked for behind. Sure he would be ruined financially, but he had a nest egg saved away for his and his family. Surely that would see them through the difficult times to come. He ascended the stairs in front of his home, stopped at the front door, and searched his pockets for his keys. After failing to find them, he raised his hand to knock on the door, only to have it pass through it. He jerked his hand away, as if it was burned by fire. He stood dumbfounded until he reminded himself that he was dead. Steeling his resolve, he took a deep breath, and phased through the door.

His home was just as he left it that morning. He attempted to remove his shirt and tie, only to realize that he couldn't. His hands gripped at the knot of his tie, but he mentally could not bring himself to remove it. Choosing not to dwell on the moment, he searched the house for his wife and child, only to find each room empty. Assuming that they had left for a late dinner, he found his bedroom and fell into his bed. After a few moments rest, he noticed something peculiar, a partly folded note sticking out form a nearby nightstand.

If it was any other day, he would have ignored the little sheet of paper. If it was any other day, he wouldn't be dead. He sat up and skimmed the paper of its contents.

'…_Edger Allen Poe poetry readings_.'

Just as he gave a sigh of relief, the front door opened. Rolling off of the bed, Henderson longed to see his wife's face. Would he be able to feel her, to hold her? He would figure out something. As he raced through the halls, he longed for her touch. He entered the living room, his face adopting a goofy grin at the sight of his wife. His eyes then bulged wide with shock as she fell, face first into the ground. A dark figure with a scythe in his hands stood behind her as she fell.

"Hello, James," the figure greeted.

Henderson was just about to ask who the intruder was, but then he saw his face. The old man from before, his momentary shock was forgotten after he realized his wife had not moved since she fell before him.

"Carla" he called.

"James," a voice answered back. Before his eyes, his wife stood before him, while her corpse remained at the door. The sight was otherworldly, her soul left her body as if she was a snake shedding its skin.

"James? What's going on?"

Before Henderson could mutter a response, the tip of the old man scythe poked through the woman's stomach. She stared at metal in her abdomen, then at Henderson in horror. The old man ripped the scythe from her midsection, she disappeared in a cloud of burning ash, the echo of her scream was the last thing Henderson would ever hear from his wife. He stared at the intruder on his doorstep.

"Let me re-introduce myself. I am the guide from this world to the next."

"Is that what you did to Carla? Was that suppose to be you guiding her!"

"No, the woman…she suffered…I had to make an example of her. Very unfortunate but can't be helped."

Henderson had heard enough. He turned on his heel and ran back towards the bedroom. He fumbled through the nightstand, and after a few seconds found what he was looking for, a smith and wesson revolver. He did not realize at the time that his ghostly hand was able to pick up the gun, his mind was on other thoughts.

He turned around, the reaper stood right before him, their faces inches apart. Henderson did not hesitate, he backstepped to the opposite wall, took aim, and pulled the trigger. The reaper raised his scythe. The bullet passed through him harmlessly as he began his downswing. Henderson dove to his right, the scythe phased through the wall he stood against as if it wasn't there. Without missing a beat, the reaper threw his scythe in Henderson's direction. Henderson rolled on his stomach to the right. He dare not look to see where the scythe fell, he knew he did not have a moment to spare. He got to his feet and ran to his window. Just like his colleagues that morning, he dove through, head first. He screamed as he fell three stories and collided with the ground, then marveled once again that he felt nothing on impact. One of the perks of being dead he supposed. He gathered himself and ran off into the night, hoping to leave his pursuer behind.

Henderson gave a sigh of relief when his home was far behind him. His pace slowed to a jog, then stopped altogether to give himself a moments rest. He took notice of his surroundings, people littered the sidewalk. Some walked in groups, some alone, all were heading in the same direction. Just as Henderson began to wonder what was happening, he saw a figure that led them in front. Dark suit, greased hair, polished shoes, and a long scythe. It was a reaper, leading souls to the next world. A familiar chill ran down his spine, he looked over his shoulder just in time to see his reaper emerge from a side street.

'_For the love of_-,' Henderson stopped himself during his complaint, now was not the time to gripe and moan. He had to hide. Thinking quickly, he mingled with a group of the recently passed and walked along with them. He kept his gaze facing forward. If his pursuer was able to find him after coming so far, Henderson would throw in the towel. Unfortunately for Henderson, the reaper had spotted him, he reached out to grab his prey by the shoulder and pull him away, but was stopped by the downswing of another scythe.

"Problem, Griffin," the herding reaper asked, obviously irritated.

'_Griffin_,' Henderson through to himself as he put the name to the face that chased him for the better part of the last hour. The herding reaper's flock stopped in mid step, Henderson stopped along with them.

"I've been chasing this soul all day," Griffin explained, "step aside, Turgeon."

"I find that hard to believe Griffin. I've reaped the souls of Canadians and Americas all day due to the grim reaper's insistence while you were nowhere to be seen."

"I just told you, I chased that particular soul, James Henderson, all day. Now if you will take one side-"

"What are you, a soul short of a quota? There are freshly dead over there, do your job."

Henderson watched as the two bickered back and forth like children. He stood and wrapped his mind around the fact that two of deaths instruments argued like they were co-workers trying to please their boss. He stole a glance at Turgeon. That was a Canadian name, he was sure of it. Griffin was obviously American. Judging from the heated words, this was not their first encounter. Were they rivals? Is there such a thing as rivals when dealing with death? How many reapers are wondering the streets now?

Henderson would have tossed ideas in his head for much longer, but the sound of metal striking metal knocked him from his thoughts. Griffin aimed the tip of his scythe at Turgeon's neck, who blocked with ease. The two stared at each other, neither averting their gaze. Turgeon kicked Griffin away and placed a well aim swing of his own to Griffin neck. Griffin crouched under the blow, then swung his scything in a while rising uppercut as she stood. Turgeon sidestepped to his right and swept a leg under Griffin, who fell flat on his back.

Turgeon stood overhead, ready to give the killing blow. Griffin reached for his scythe, Turgeon knocked it out of reach with his own. As Griffin tried to stand, Turgeon kept him in place by pinning him with his foot on Griffin' chest. When his opponent still struggled to get free, Turgeon stopped the squirming by moving his foot from the chest to the neck. At that moment, Griffin knew he was defeated. He watched in horror as Turgeon raised his scythe and began his downswing. Griffin braced himself and shut his eyes. To his surprise, the blow never came. When he opened his eyes, he and Turgeon wore the same expression of shock.

Griffin scythe poked form his stomach, freezing Turgeon in the middle of his downswing. He looked over his shoulder, his body shaking as he did so. Henderson had a tight grip on Griffin' scythe, the scythe must have been knocked right at Henderson's feet. Henderson ripped the scythe from his victim's midsection, Turgeon disappeared in a cloud of burning ash.

Griffin was beyond shocked, he was flabbergasted. He sat up, thankful for the sudden change in luck. As he rose, Henderson parted his forehead with his very own scythe. Henderson fell on his backside and breathed a sigh of relief. Two scythes lay on the ground beside him. They felt otherworldly in his hands. For such a thin piece of metal it was surprisingly heavy. He stood with the help of Griffin' scythe. It was then he noticed his surroundings. The flock that Turgeon led were staring at him. Henderson didn't know what to think. Was he safe? Would they attack him? Could they, he was dead. Other than the scythe in his hand, nothing else seems to be a threat. Feeling outnumbered and outmatched, Henderson made his escape down a dark alley with both scythes in hand.

The next morning bought his worst fears of the night to life, repercussions. During his sleepless night, Henderson found shelter in a church and planned for the days to come. After mourning the death of his wife and himself, he thought of joining her in the next world. At the moment he couldn't bring himself to do it, not yet anyway. Maybe after he and his wife lay side by side in a cemetery. He thought of returning home to watch over her until she was discovered. He wouldn't have to worry about his own corpse, he along with a dozen others were lying in the middle of the street. Hopefully after the corpses were sorted, someone would arrive at his home to tell his wife the news, then discover her corpse as well.

Only one concern kept him from putting his plan into action. He cast a wayward glance at the two scythes that propped against the wall in the corner. Surely there were more of them. Surely they would come for them. He killed two of their own. Would they ambush him at his home? Were they looking through the streets with a fine tooth comb to find him? He thought of Griffin, who appeared twice where Henderson was. He leaned forward on his elbows and held his chin as he recalled Griffin encounters. The first encounter was shortly after he fell to his death. He appeared to lead the group on the street to the next world. The second was at his home, just before his wife fell over dead.

"Death," Henderson thought out loud. Was Griffin lead to him by death? Supposedly the grim reaper appears at the time of death, and while Griffin was not, according to Turgeon's words, the grim reaper himself, he did appear at times of death. Was it just chance that Griffin found him the night before?

On the verge of giving himself a headache, Henderson stood from his seat. He pat himself on the back as he looked around the empty worship hall, not even a bump interrupted him last night. Maybe the reapers were unable to enter a church?

"Evil spirits," Henderson scoffed as he through of his wife passing. "Maybe they are demons…unholy soul gathering demons."

"Unholy are we," a man asked with a trace of amusement as he pushed open the church's double doors.

'_Another suit_,' Henderson noticed as the man strolled in. This one was just like the others: black suit, black tie, white undershirt. Although this one was Japanese, with ebony hair that ran down to his shoulders. In any event, the evil spirit theory was wrong, this suit was able to enter the church just fine. Henderson rushed for the two scythes that were propped against the wall.

The reaper held a small smirk, as if he was entertained by the entire situation. "You can put those down, I'm not here to fight."

Henderson stood, holding his ground, scythes at the ready.

"Toyokuro Dato," the reaper said as an attempt to be friendly.

Taking a play from Griffin's book, Henderson threw a scythe. His opponent easily knocked it away with his own.

"If you insist," Toyokuro said with a shrug and a shake of his head. He rushed towards Henderson, his scythe making sparks as he scraped it across the ground. Henderson swung when Toyokuro was within reach. Toyokuro came to a sliding stop and blocked the strike with his scythe, he then span on his heel, pulling Henderson's scythe away as he did so.

Henderson blinked in surprise, and missed the other half of Toyokuro's counter. Somehow, Toyokuro returned his own scythe to the strap on his back with one hand, and held Henderson's scythe to his neck with the other at the end of his spin.

"Are we done," Toyokuro asked.

With the business end of a scythe at his neck, Henderson had no choice, his gaze fell to the floor.

"Good," Toyokuro dropped Henderson's scythe back in his hands. "Now that that s out of the way-"

"Wait, you're not going to kill me? Reap my soul or whatever it is you people do?"

"Oh no, for one, you're already dead so I can't re-kill you. Two, you banished two reapers, I couldn't reap you even if I wanted to."

Henderson gave him a confused look.

"Let me explain. When a reaper falls while on the job, whoever kills him must take their place and work for the old bones downstairs."

"Old bones? Downstairs?"

"Ah sorry, fledglings don't understand the lingo. Old bones is the grim reaper and downstairs is the underworld."

"So you expect me to kill people?"

"What's with you and this idea of killing? You won't be killing anyone. Everyone has to die at some time, and when you finally meet them, they're already dead. You merely guide people from this world into the next as they pass on."

"And if I refuse?"

"You can't refuse."

"I can always say no."

"Not exactly my friend, you don't have a choice."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, especially to the underworld."

Toyokuro laughed, "we're already here."

Henderson shot him another confused look. He turned around, the church podium, the organ, the church itself was gone. He found himself at the bank of a river that ran with gray water. He turned again to protest to Toyokuro, only to find that the scenery had changed again. They now stood in front of a massive chapel. The doors opened as Toyokuro gave him an amused grin. "Well, lets go, Death waits."

Now, here we was, 80 years after his arrival, Henderson found himself waiting on death to call his name. As he sat, his thoughts were of Keitaro. He would bring his soul to the underworld one world way or another.


	7. Chapter 6

A week has passed since Hinata Sou's unknown brush with death, ten days since the events at the airport. Motoko and Naru were still shell shocked over their actions. The only change that Keitaro had noticed was Motoko becoming nearly as hard to approach as Naru. He tried to talk to both girls on numerous occasions, only to have his good intentions fail. Motoko actively dodged Keitaro. She made herself scarce when she detected his ki. For moments when he caught her by surprise, she would lower her eyes to avoid eye contact, and then run from the area.

Naru was outright impossible to approach. She recently blocked the hole in her floor with something extremely heavy, possibly her futon, and kept her bedroom door locked at all times. She made herself perfectly clear to Keitaro, and the other housemates, that she did not wish to be disturbed. Shinobu was the only person who witnessed any sign of life from Naru. She left trays of food outside her door when she cooked for the household, and more often than not, the plates were empty when she returned.

"This can't go on," Kitsune said as she plopped down on the couch beside Keitaro. Ever since the ordeal, the two became fast friends. They had yet to tell Shinobu and Su what happened, and for the moment struggled to keep it that way.

"Well, what can we do? At least Motoko will leave her room, but Naru…" Keitaro's voice trailed off as they both thought of the situation. The TV in the main room was off. The horses at the track were ignored, a huge accomplishment for the fox.

"Naru won't talk to me either," Kitsune said with a sigh. She held her forehead in her hand as she thought about why Naru did not confide in her. Sure Kitsune frequently uncovered dirt on her fellow housemates for fun, but for a situation this serious, she could be trusted. She knew Naru needed her support, and Naru instantly asked for it after telling her what happened on the way home from the airport. Since that day however, Naru refused all attempts at conversation.

"You have a better chance with talking to her than I do, you _are_ her best friend." Kitsune rolled her eyes a Keitaro's comment. It was as if he knew she was thinking the same thing. "She won't even look at me," Keitaro continued, "I remind her of that woman."

A long silence passed as Kitsune considered his words, "Naru's stubborn, she won't talk 'til she's ready."

"We can't just wait until this goes away."

Kitsune shrugged as she shook her head, "might have to."

"Keiiitarrooo," someone sc reamed as they entered the room. Keitaro turned at the mention of his name and was met with a flying kick right to the chin. Kitsune watched as Keitaro was knocked head over heels off of the couch and onto his back.

"Hello Su," Kitsune said with a laugh, she was grateful for the brief moment of normal antics of Hinata Sou.

"Hello food," Su squealed as she ran for the kitchen.

"Wait, Su!" Shinobu walked after her with bags of groceries were in her hands, "I still have to cook first! Oh, hello Kitsune-san, Sempai."

"Hello Shinobu-chan," Keitaro groaned as he got back to his feet.

"Will Naru-sempai join us today?"

"Don't think so," Kitsune answered, "she's still not feelin' well."

"Oh…I wish I could help."

"We all do, but Naru will come out when she wants to."

"We should all go eat in her room" Su said as she ran across the three towards the stairs. Two half eaten bananas hung from her mouth and a cooking pot was on her head.

"Su, wait! I need that pot!" Shinobu gave a quick bow before chasing after Su.

"Those two," Kitsune said with a grin.

Keitaro took his place back on the couch, "could we do that, bring everyone to Naru's room and eat there?"

"You're thinkin' about what Su said? Really?"

Keitaro shrugged, "it couldn't hurt. You have a better idea?"

"What about Motoko?"

Keitaro raised an eyebrow, "Motoko?"

"She'd be easier to talk to than Naru, right?"

Keitaro recalled the moments he tried to approach Motoko. He opened his mouth to protest, then gave the idea some thought. While Naru refused to come out of her room, Motoko could occasionally be found around Hinata Sou. While Naru stayed behind the safety of her locked door, Motoko could be approached in the open. Maybe, just maybe, Kitsune might pull a rabbit out of her hat here.

"She runs whenever she sees me, if you have any bright ideas lay them on me."

Plotting was not Keitaro's strong suit, and Kitsune knew that. She knew that he would leave the thinking to her, and that whatever plan they acted on would come from her noodle. Normally, strategizing was a task that she enjoyed, given the current circumstances however, her mind was just as dull as Keitaro's.

"Motoko," Kitsune said in surprise as the topic of their conversation entered the room. Keitaro's shoulders tensed at the arrival of Hinata Sou's swordstress. How much did she hear? Had she been there the entire time?

"Kitsune…hello."

Motoko refused to make eye contact with Keitaro, she tried so very hard to avoid a conversation with him. Even small talk such as weather and exchanging greetings was difficult for her. She simply returned his greeting in passing as she rushed away from him. There was no reason why she couldn't do that now. Before Keitaro had a chance to speak, she was out of the room, heading to the hot spring.

While Motoko was concerned about Keitaro, Kitsune was the true threat. She was a master at reading body language and Motoko's demonstration offered much to read. Her eyes fell away and to the floor at the sight of Keitaro, she held her shoulder in her hand, and her body weight shifted to her right foot. Nervousness, apprehensive, uncertainty, these are things Kitsune already knew. Would she attack if backed into a corner? That was the million dollar question. She looked at Keitaro, he was staring back at her.

He had nothing.

Kitsune shrugged again, she was in no mood to think, "let's follower her."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Motoko disrobed and threw her soiled training uniform in the dirty clothes basket. She then grabbed a fresh towel, covered herself, and entered the hot spring. She dipped a toe to test the waters. After nodding her approval, she folded her towel and settled into the soothing water.

Her body relaxed, her mind was still shot.

Not a day has gone by without Motoko thinking of the death she caused. She was nearly obsessed with it. No matter what she did, be it sleeping, training, or at the moment soaking in the hot spring, she could not forgive herself. She sat in the heated water so that her entire body, minus her nose and above, was submerged. Her thoughts turned to Naru, who she knew felt just as guilty as her.

_No!_

Motoko shook her head to clear her mind. There were other things she had not given thought about, namely her sister, her clan, and its elders. What would they do in this situation? Most likely send her to death. An innocent died by her hands, in their eyes, there would be no excuse. She questioned her own honor for not being able to take her own life. If she would have done so the very first night, she would have at least had an honorable death. Her reluctance to do so meant she held on to life. These thoughts depressed her more so, she relaxed her heels to allow her body to submerge fully underwater.

Just before her ears were about to be submerged, she heard the hot spring door open. She stood out of the water, there were footsteps. She squint her eyes to try to look through the fog. It was too thick, she couldn't see a thing. Why not use that to her advantage? Whoever was coming had no reason to suspect that she was there. Surely she could simply remain quiet while her unexpected company bathed herself.

"Motoko," Keitaro voice called out.

Motoko instantly dove back underwater. '_Why is he here!'_

Wait a moment, Keitaro deliberately came into the hot spring while he knew she was there. Was he peeping? Motoko knit her brows as she reached for her sword. All this time she avoided him, tip toed around him, felt shame every time she through of him. Now, here he is, continuing his lecherous ways! Well there is a very simple solution to solve this problem!

"URASHIMA! How dare-"

She stopped in mid sentence. She found Urashima. He held a towel in his outstretched hand, his head was turned away from her, towards the entrance.

"Motoko, we need to talk."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As night fell, Keitaro found himself in a situation he would have never imagined in his life. He stood in front of Motoko's door, waiting on her to invite him in. There were a few bumps from behind the door, what could she possibly be doing? Keitaro took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He could not afford any mistakes here. This would be the first time he and Motoko would carry a full conversation in nearly two weeks. Motoko opened the door after a few more moments.

"Please enter," she said after she stood to one side.

Keitaro nodded and entered. Her room appeared to be well kept.

"Please sit," Motoko offered as she gestured towards a table in her room.

The long silence was painful afterwards. After both were seated, Keitaro thought of what and how he should say what was on his mind, while Motoko was content to sit in silence. This was the plan that he and Kitsune hatched earlier, just walk up to her, no time to be indecisive now.

"How are you Motoko?" There! Nothing clumsy, just genuine concern from manager to tenant.

Although it was an easy question for Keitaro, Motoko's answer was anything but. Should she tell the truth? Should she lie? Would she feel better after bearing her soul, or should she play her thoughts close to the vest? Surely he knows something is wrong? She went out of her way to avoid him. Now here he was in her room! Why did she agree to this! It was so much simpler to avoid him.

"I am fine," she lied after a while.

"Motoko," he started.

"Really, I'm fine," she pushed harder, "I'm just…stressed."

"About?"

"That is none of your business," she said rather quickly, "it is clan related, and nothing you can assist with."

"Wantanabe Miharu," Keitaro blurted suddenly.

"Excuse me," Motoko asked a bit more fearful than she liked.

"The airport…I know Motoko."

Her train of thought came to a screeching halt.

"I want to help Motoko," Keitaro offered after another long silence. "I want things to return to normal." His hand reached out for hers, she snatched it away before he could touch. "Motoko-"

"Urashima…since you are aware of…my actions…then you know that there is no…_returning to normal_."

"Motoko I know there's som-"

Motoko raised her hand to silence him, she was not finished speaking.

"For a grievous act such as mine, my options are clear. Either I return to my clan and accept my punishment there…or," she cast a wayward glance towards her wall, "I take my own life." She gave a heavy sigh, her last statement hung in the air for a while. "I bring more shame upon myself by staying here, by being indecisive. I do not know which is the right path."

"Motoko please, let me help! Let everyone help! I won't just stand by while you kill yourself!"

"Oh," she scoffed, "and what can you do to stop me? Your will is weak, your physical strength is laughable, and your only concern is fulfilling your own sick fantasies."

Keitaro simply stared as she spoke. Motoko grew angry at his silence, she had insulted him, she could humiliate him, she could injure him, she could break him so easily, and yet he sat there, staring at her. This male, who she punished again and again for his lecherous actions was able to thoroughly enrage her by sitting in silence. He went so far as to approach her as she bathed!

'_With a towel in hand.'_

Motoko's face softened. Her insults could not have bothered him. If his intentions were perverted, he would have done so while she stood naked in front of him. If he was weak willed, he would not have approached her at all in the spring, she sent him flying on prior occasions for doing so. And if he was physically weak, he would not be here today. Her techniques could killer lesser men, that was a lesson she recently learned.

"I apologize," Motoko offered.

Keitaro smiled and shook his head, "no problem."

"Why are you here Urashima? Do you not fear for your life? I am a murderer, doesn't that concern you?"

Keitaro shook his head again, "I came to help Motoko. I'm not worried because I know you're not that type of person."

"I took a life, Urashima."

"It was an accident."

"Accident or not, I took it! An innocent person's life! There's no disputing that!"

Motoko looked at her sword, Keitaro looked as well. A few seconds passed, both knew what the other was thinking. They hopped to their feet at the same time and rushed towards the sword stand. Motoko was the faster of the two, she was able to reach the sword first and grip its handle. Keitaro got a hand on the sword as well, he clinched his fist around the blade itself.

Motoko did not notice the extra hand until it was too late. She pulled the blade to her. The blade cut through Keitaro's flesh vertically, spilling blood as it did so.

Motoko's eyes were fat with fear. '_Oh god I cut him!'_

She dropped her sword instantly and took his injured hand into hers, "BAKA! What were you trying to do!"

Keitaro winced as he looked at his palm, "I had to stop you, it worked."

Motoko looked at him, astonished. He wore a stupid toothy grin. She momentarily forgot about the injury until she heard a drop of his blood drip on the floor. She looked at his hand again, it was covered in blood. "Go to the bathroom and rinse your hand!"

She rushed him out of her bedroom door, then went to her closet. After finding her chest wrapping bandages, she rushed to catch up with him.


	8. Chapter 7

Kitsune's alarm clock woke her at 8:30 A.M. She hit the snooze button and turned over in her bed, then realized why she set the alarm so early in the morning to begin with. She swung her legs off the bed and headed for her closet. After getting dressed, she stuck her head out her bedroom door to see if any of her fellow housemates were awake. When she was satisfied that no one walked the halls, she tip toed outside and quietly made her way downstairs.

After reaching the common room, she snatched the phone from its base and dialed a number. She had a short conversation in hushed tones. After she was finished, she headed for the door. When the door shut behind her, she began to sprint down the stairs. She was sure no one saw her leave, but better to be safe than sorry. There has been countless times where she herself stalked Hinata Sou's residents when suspicions were there.

After descending the stairs, her pace slowed as she casually made her way to the train station. Unknown to her, Su also had plans that morning. She saw the suspicious looking Kitsune and, for no other reason than the possibility of entertainment, decided to follow. Although she could not hold a candle to Kitsune, Su managed to move around undetected just fine. While Kitsune walked on the sidewalk, Su tip toed on top of gates, swung from signs and poles, and perched on window ledges.

Out of sheer boredom, just before reaching the train station, Su leapt from a street light and perched on Kitsune's shoulders. She leaned forward and screamed, "Hi!"

Kitsune yelped from the sudden sight of Su's face hanging upside down. She fell over in a heap, causing Su to fall with her.

"Oww," Su moaned, "Keitaro doesn't fall over when I sit on him."

"I'm not Keitaro Su," Kitsune protested while rubbing her backside, "whatcha you doing here anyway?"

Su pointed towards an unmanned train, "I need parts."

"Eh? Parts? From what, that train there? Is it broken?" It certainly appeared to be in working order, but what did Kitsune know about machines? Not exactly her area of expertise.

"I can't use broken parts, silly."

"Can't use brok…Wait! You're going to strip a working train! Su! You can't do that!"

"Why not? I have before."

"You have before! Su, that's stealing!"

"No its not, I leave money after I'm done." She pulled out a stack of burgundy and dark green papers with a gold elephant insignia in the center.

Kitsune sweat dropped, "You leave this… after you're done?"

"Mmmhmm," Su nodded happily.

It was then that Kitsune noticed the stares of some of the station's employees. "Su, I think we should go."

"But I didn't get my parts."

"I don't think the people here would like that."

"Hey," a man yelled as he approached them.

'_Crap!'_ Kitsune's back stiffened.

"Shinji," Su greeted.

"Hello Su, how's the scrap today?"

"Excuse me," Kitsune interrupted, "Su, do you know this man?"

"Sure, he's Shinji."

"Pleasure," he greeted with a nod.

"And it's ok for her to take the train apart?" Kitsune was still lost.

"I know what you're thinking," Shinji said with a laugh, "and it's fine with me."

"I pay him," Su added helpfully. Kitsune became more confused as she saw the foreign currency exchange hands.

"At first I through it was weird too. I figured it was just a game kids play, so I went along with it. Then I noticed she took everything of value! She really knows what she's doing!"

"But what do you do with the money," Kitsune asked. She knew for a fact that she could not use that form of currency anywhere. She has tried, with no success.

"I save it until I call Su to make repairs our mechanics can't figure out, and pay her with it." He patted Su's head as he spoke.

Kitsune often wondered where Su acquired the materials for her creations. This answers a few of the questions in the back of her mind about Su.

"Oh," Kitsune realized she had not introduced herself, "sorry, my name's Mitsune."

"Pleasure," he said again.

Su happily went to work while the two adults talked with each other. A few bolts here, a few screws there, four removed clamps and the train engine fell on the ground with a loud thud.

"So, how does she move all of this stuff," Kitsune asked after hearing the engine fall.

Shinji pointed to a mechanical hot spring turtle that was kept out of sight of the general public. The turtle was rather large with the width of a soccer mom's van. As if her attention was some sort of cue, the turtle came to life. Its fins and feet levitated off the ground as it hovered to Su's pile of parts. The shell on its back opened with an audible pop, and Shinji began to load the parts into the empty space.

"Well this is awfully sweet of you," Kitsune said after the work was finished.

"Shinji's very nice," Su added from her perch on the turtle's back.

"Su," Kitsune began, still curious about the arrangement, "should we invite Shinji to see some of your inventions?

Both Shinji and Su visibly flinched. "Thank you for the offer, but I think it's best if I stay away. I've heard stories…"

"Naru and Motoko would hurt Shinji," Su added, "that's why I leave so early in the morning, so no one will find out."

"Those two would jump to conclusions wouldn't they," Kitsune said as she shook her head.

"I should get back to work," Shinji said as he left, "nice meeting you ma'am."

Both Kitsune and Su watched as he returned to work.

"You can't tell anyone," Su said after a while. Kitsune had no intention to tell anyone about her friend, she was more surprised that Su understood what would happen to her friend if he darkened Hinata Sou's doorstep.

"Kitsune sneaks out too," Su continued, "you have something you don't want anyone else to find out either."

The color in Kitsune's face paled a bit, how long had Su been behind her? "You're right," she confessed with a laugh.

Without warning the turtle used its fin to flip Kitsune on its back.

"Let's go," Su squealed as the turtle flippers folded into its underside. It then took flight, nearly toppling over train equipment in the process.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Keitaro woke up to a growling stomach. He reached for his glasses and winced as his injury clapped against the nightstand. His bandaged hand throbbed in protest as he looked at it. Motoko's wrappings held throughout the night, but he could feel the cloth stick to his open would. His hand held his attention as he made his way to the common room, then was forgotten when he smelled Shinobu's cooking.

"Good morning sempai," she greeted as he entered the kitchen, "breakfast will be ready in a moment."

"Morning Shinobu, smells great as always."

Shinobu cheeks colored at the compliment.

"Want help setting the table?"

"No, that's ok sempai. Su told me that she had plans this morning so..."

"I see, and with Naru and Motoko still not feeling well…that leaves you, me and Kitsune. I'll tell her to come down," Keitaro said as he left the kitchen and climbed the stairs.

"Kitsune," Keitaro asked after three quick knocks on her bedroom door. "Kitsune, are you there?"

After not getting an answer, he cracked her door open and took a peek inside.

"Kitsune? Breakfast is almost ready." To his surprise, she was nowhere to be found

He went up another floor and stopped at the door directly above his, Naru's door. Maybe this will be the day she would leave her room. He knocked on her door. "Naru?" No answer, that was common. She was still refusing company, apparently today would be no different.

Surely Motoko would be more willing, he had a breakthrough with her last night. He walked down the hall to her room, but three quick knocks on her door proved that she was not answering as well.

"Looks like it's just you and me today Shinobu," Keitaro said as he re-entered the kitchen.

Shinobu nearly dropped the spatula she held in the frying pan, "Kitsune-san isn't here?"

"No, she's not in her room."

They both stared at the food that was prepared, there was enough to feed a family of four.

"Hmm, maybe I can have aunt Haruka to come."

"Sempai," Shinobu began, her tone and facial expression turning serious. Something had been weighing on her mind, and since they were alone at the moment, now would be a good time to ask. "Is there something wrong in the inn?"

Keitaro's knees buckled at the question, "what do you mean?"

"Everyone has been acting strange since we welcomed Seta back from the airport a few weeks ago. Did something happen?"

Keitaro was sweating bullets, "N-no, nothing happened, Motoko and Naru are just sick is all. Nothing strange is going on." Keitaro gave a nervous laugh. He couldn't tell her that there was an accidental death that Motoko and Naru felt that they were responsible for.

Shinobu didn't mention Motoko or Naru specifically. It was strange that Keitaro would instantly think she was talking about them in particular. Did something happen to them? Was he hiding something? Was he lying to her? She then noticed Keitaro's injury, "sempai, what happened to your hand?"

'_More of Motoko's antics_,' Keitaro cursed in his head. "Oh this? Nothing! Just a bit of housework gone wrong! Repairing holes in the roof, you know how that goes." He gave a nervous chuckle. Lying was not one of his strong suits. Shinobu only gave him a blank stare. She wasn't buying it! Need to think of a plan B!

'I see," she said as she sat a plate of food in front of him, "please be more careful in the future."

Another nervous chuckle, "I'll try."

He did not see the questioning look Shinobu gave as turned his attention to his plate. Something is very wrong, she would have to be an idiot to think otherwise, and no matter what anyone thought, Shinobu was no idiot. Everyone around her was acting strange, except for Su. Then again, Su is missing from the table now. Su is missing a meal. Shinobu had to say that line a few times to herself before the meaning sank in. Su missing a meal was like…she couldn't think of a proper metaphor, Su simply did not miss a meal! And now three of the other house guests are missing, she found herself with a breakfast to feed a family of at least four, six if everyone was not greedy, with only Keitaro and herself to enjoy it.

Shinobu would not realize until later, but she often dreamt of time alone with her sempai. Unfortunately the circumstances surrounding Hinata Sou would not let her to enjoy the moment, let alone realize that said moment had arrived.

"Here," Su asked as the hover turtle began its decent. "Tanahaka Shrine? You were sneaking out to come here?"

Kitsune shrugged. Normally she would not skulk about, but ever since the incident, she found herself drinking more frequently. A drunken Kitsune was no secret at Hinata Sou, but how much sake she purchased lately, that she would like to keep a little known fact. Her pallet had recently changed from quality to quantity, and what she planned to hide in her room was a large quantity, even for her.

"Guess I was being silly," she said with her trademark fox grin, 'it's just a little sake run."

"From a shrine?"

Kitsune sweat dropped. Tanahaka shrine was used for people to honor the dead. Ceremonial sake was all the place had, and a drinking buddy of hers promised a steep discount if bought in excess. She hoped Su would not pick upon that. "Sure, nothing wrong with a little blessing while having a drink right?" The turtle shook as they talked.

"We're here," Su announced.

"Great, wait here and I'll be right back."

Su nodded happily and watched her passenger disappear into the shrine. The smile fell from her face when she was alone.

'_Sake for dead people,'_ she asked herself. She noticed the changes around the inn, and after a little investigating, merely plucking a newspaper from the garbage and a quick search on the internet, she discovered what was bothering the household. From what she gathered, a death at the airport was caused by Motoko and Naru somehow. At least that's how she saw it, those two claimed to be sick while Keitaro and Kitsune whispered amongst themselves when they thought they were alone.

Su noticed that they went to great lengths to not talk about the incident while she and Shinobu were in the same room, and for the sake of the house, she pretended not to notice, but some things cannot be ignored, this was one of them.

'_But why here,'_ she asked herself, was this place important somehow? She wasn't mistaken, a shrine like this were one in a dozen that catered to those who pray for loved ones who have passed on.

Kitsune emerged after a while, a rather large bag trailed behind her. "A little help hon?"

Su pressed a few buttons and the turtle sprang back to life. It loaded the cargo in its hollow shell, holstered the fox on its back, and before Kitsune could secure herself, they were flying back to Hinata Sou.

A man emerged just in the nick of time from the shrine to get a good look at the girls as they flew away. He knew their faces, he was sure of it. He rushed to his car to give chase, but lost them as they disappeared behind a few buildings.

"Damn it," he hit his steering wheel with closed fists in frustration. That was Mitsune Konno and Kaolla Su, he was sure of it! He leaned back in the driver's seat and thought back to the day he learned their names. A man claiming to be the grim reaper approached him with a contract that would save his dying wife. A group of six people, young adults and kids, would have to die for his Miharu to live. His mind recalled the names just as they appeared on the contract: Konno Mistune, Kaolla Su, Mahera Shinobu, Narusegawa Naru, Aoyama Motoko, and Urashima Keitaro. He signed his name on the dotted line and contrary what the man said, his wife died later that day. Two weeks have passed since then and the pain was still fresh.

As if losing his wife was not enough, he was lied to by that bastard Henderson that day. The things he would do to Henderson if he came across him again. He waited for the reaper to show himself after his wife passed. He waited for the chance to work out his rage and anguish, but the opportunity never came. He buried his wife, took a leave of absence from his job, offered his prayers at the shrine daily, and his blood lust eventually faded. That is until he saw Mitsune Konno.

Henderson described in great detail what happened at the airport, and from what Issun remembered from that day, he knew that Motoko gave the killing blow, but Konno…that woman lived with her! She lived with all of them! If he knew how to find them, the horrors he would commit there! Everyone would pay, **EVERYONE**, even the children! He stared at the direction they flew in, his chance was gone. He ran across them by luck, he seriously doubt he would be so lucky again. No use of thinking of what could have been, he needed a drink, and the shrine would not provide alcohol for anyone that asks.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Motoko heard Keitaro knock on her door earlier, but due to the events last night, she chose to ignore him. She buried herself under the covers and did not move until it was close to mid day. When she did decide to start the day, she looked at her weapon rack and found her sword missing. Urashima must have taken it, after what happened the night before it was very understandable why he would do so. She could easily get it back, simply marching to Keitaro and demand he return it would work just fine.

She sat up in her bed, last night still playing through her mind. She told Keitaro everything that troubled her, and the options she had available, clan punishment or honorable death. By taking her sword, Keitaro made the choice for her. She will go to Kyoto, and face the judgment of her clan. She swung her legs from the bed, now that her mind was made up, she would need to begin to steel herself for her encounter.

'_Easier said than done.'_

She rose to her feet to fetch the bokken from her closet, and made her way to the roof. She stopped momentarily at the door to Naru's rom. There were no sounds coming from behind it. In that brief moment, she considered asking Naru to accompany her to Kyoto, closure would help her as well.

"Motoko-sempai," someone asked from behind.

'_Shinobu? Damn it, I couldn't detect her!'_ "Hello Shinobu," she greeted. A basket of clothes was in her hands, she must have finished gathering the dry laundry from the roof.

"Motoko, how are you? Are you feeling better? I could try to cook food remedies but I don't know what symptoms you have."

'_Symptoms?'_ "I feel fine Shinobu, thank you."

"But you and Naru have not eaten with the rest of us for a while now."

Motoko visibly flinched. "I assure you, I am well. Do not worry."

"Okay, but what happened? You and Naru got sick at the same time. I think it was around the time we met Seta-san at the airport."

Motoko sweat dropped, _'such pointed questions.' _"Maybe it was something I ate?" Motoko ate nothing that day. "Or I could have been bitten by something." Motoko's hakama covers her body from collarbone to toe, no possibility she could have been bitten. "In any event, the sickness has passed." Motoko could not remember the last day she had a physical illness of any sort.

"That's great," Shinobu gushed, "I'll make sure to set a place for you at dinner."

"Thank you," Motoko said with a bow then left her alone in the hallway. Eager to get away from the young chef, Motoko rushed to her perch on the roof. She arrived just as Kitsune and Su returned home from their errands.

"I don't know how you build these things Su," Kitsune said as she dismounted the mechanical turtle.

"It's simple," Su squealed as she leapt off the turtle's back. The shell popped open and Kitsune grabbed her sack full of liquor.

"Don't try to explain it to me, I don't think you could if you tried." She gave a laugh as she went to her room with her goods. Once she was behind her locked bedroom door, she picked a bottle from her sack, unscrewed the top, and took a swig. It was bitter, had a horrible aftertaste, and burned all the way down.

'_Yup, its cheap sake alright.'_

She put the bottle down and began to move the rest of her drinks to her secret stash. Eight bottles of ceremonial sake from Takahana Shrine, three bottles of sweet plum sake, and an aged bottle of brandy that was only opened for special occasions. With a satisfied grin, she replaced the loose board over the hole in the wall and made her way to the kitchen. She missed breakfast while she was out, she was starving.

"Hey there Shinobu," Kitsune greeted as she entered the common room.

"Hello Kitsune-san," Shinobu greeted as she folded clean clothes from her seat, "there are plenty of leftovers from breakfast if you're hungry."

"Well aren't you a little mind reader," the fox said with a grin as she made her way to the kitchen. Shinobu, still curious about the suspicious behavior of Keitaro and Motoko, decided to follow.

"Kitsune-san," Shinobu asked once she had her prey cornered in the fridge.

"Hmm, whatcha need Shinobu?"

She took a deep breath and pressed ahead. "I spoke with Motoko-sempai , she was acting…weird. I think she is hiding something. Have you noticed anything…strange?"

'_Uh oh!' _Kitsune's ear twitched much like a fox who heard rustling in a nearby bush. "Really? You spoke to Motoko huh? Last time I remember, she was not feeling too well. What did she say?" Leave it to Kitsune to use half truths. Then again, she had not seen Motoko for a long while, she hasn't had a chance to grill Keitaro about what they spoke about either.

"Well, I asked about how she could have got sick at the airport, but she really wouldn't say. Do you know anything about it?"

'_UH-OH!'_ Kitsune shrugged, unlike Keitaro and Motoko, she wasn't so easy to read and was great under pressure.

"I asked sempai about it, but I don't think he told me the entire story."

'_Crap! She got to Keitaro too! I should have waited for him after that little chat with Motoko!_' "Keitaro too? You think he knows something?"

"I don't know, I was wondering if you could find out?"

'_Damn it all! How much does she know?'_ "Sure thing. I'll ask him about it the next time I see him."

Shinobu was ready to press for more, but stopped when she noticed Su motioning her towards the door. "I have to finish folding the laundry, thanks again."

As Shinobu approached, Su silenced her with a 'shhh' finger. She led her friend out the door and around the building before they spoke.

"Su, what's going on?" Shinobu did plan to corner Su somehow, looks like Su turned the tables on her.

"You noticed too," She asked, completely derailing Shinobu's train of thought.

"What?"

"How weird everyone is acting!"

Shinobu could say the same to Su. Her attitude, her demeanor, she had never seen Su with such a serious expression. "Su...you're scaring me."

"Follow me!" She led Shinobu by the hand to her room.

"Su, what is this about," Shinobu asked when they were finally behind closed doors.

Instead of answering, Su left Shinobu as she disappeared behind a couple of trees. She returned with a balled up newspaper clipping. Shinobu scanned the contents and then looked up at Su.

"I saw Keitaro and Kitsune whispering over this."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Keitaro! Open up," Kitsune yelled as she pounded on the Manager's door. Keitaro cracked the door and Kitsune practically pushed her way in.

"Shinobu knows," she said before Keitaro could close the door. "She cornered me in the kitchen and started asking questions."

Keitaro ignored the study materials on his desk, "you too! She caught me earlier during breakfast. We were the only ones there!"

"And she said she talked to Motoko, there's no telling what was said during that talk!"

"She talked to Motoko! You think she told her what happened!"

"I don't know! Maybe! Motoko could have spilled the beans! We have to find out what she knows!" No reason to act calm under pressure now, Kitsune was a few moments from a full on panic attack.

"Should we tell her what happened? Maybe sugarcoat it somehow?"

"No! Her little mind could not take it! What we need to do is see how much she knows! What did you tell her?"

"That Motoko and Naru were sick."

"Good, good. Now let's go see what Motoko told her!"

What! Now!"

"Yes now! Right now! She might still be on the roof!"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Motoko felt the two of them coming. Their aura's spiked as they came together, and now they were both heading towards her. Unknowingly, she clutched the handle of her training bokken to the point where her knuckles turned white. Did Urashima tell Kitsune about what happened? Of all the possible choices he could have picked to confide in, why he chose the fox! Shinobu's inquires were still fresh in her mind, if the next set of questions were too difficult to answer, she would simple walk away, no offered explanations, just simply...walk...away!

"Motoko," Kitsune began while breathing heavily, the sprint from Keitaro's room to the roof took her breath away.

"Urashima," Motoko began herself, completely ignoring the fox altogether, "please tell me that you did not discuss what transpired the previous night with Konno!"

Both Keitaro and Kitsune were shocked by the question. He was barely able to stammer out a reply, "N-no, of course not."

'Hello!' Kitsune raised an eyebrow. _'What juicy little nugget do we have here?'_ Even though the situation was serious, dire even, she could not resist this golden opportunity to poke fun at others expense. "Don't worry Motoko, I won't tell a soul."

Motoko's eyebrow twitched, Keitaro sweat dropped.

"Keitaro saw you in all of your glory in the hot spring, his passion was too much for him to keep inside. He professed his undying affection for you as you gave yourself to him-"

"No," Keitaro said flatly. Motoko's face was red at the end of the narrative.

"No," Kitsune asked out loud with her hand on her chin, "but she's blushing."

"I am not," Motoko protested, her face grew a deeper shade of red as she did so.

'Kitsune, please, Keitaro begged, "we're here about Shinobu."

"Shinobu," Motoko repeated, ready to run away at a moments notice.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Issun drove aimlessly as he thought of his missed opportunity. When he bought his car to a stop, he was surprised to find himself at his wife's cemetery. He gave a heavy sigh and rolled out of his car. He began walking the path that was seared into his mind, through the welcoming arch, make a left after a rather large memorial, then follow the sidewalk till the third group of graves on the right, Miharu was buried in the top row, second from the left.

It was here that he waited for Henderson to show. He spoke with his wife during the wait. He promised that everything would be fine, that they would walk out together hand in hand again, that they would be together again. Henderson never showed, Issun waited until the caretaker threw him out.

Over the course of the eleven days that passed since her death. Issun came to terms with the fact that this was Miharu's final resting place now, between two complete strangers that she would never meet. He read the tombstone to the left of hers, "Yoko Urashima, he spoke out loud for his wife. There's that name again, Urashima, must be a coincidence, a coincidence that bothered him more than he would like to admit. He read the grave to the right, "Keiji Okuda."

"Did you know him," a man asked from behind.

"No," Issun admitted a bit embarrassed, "I was just…introducing my wife to the neighbors."

"Your wife," he asked while looking at Miharu's grave.

"Yeah, that's her, and he is," Issun asked while pointing to Keiji's.

"My father."

A moment of silence passed as both paid their respects.

"Any idea who this is? Yoko Urashima," Issun asked after they were both finished.

"Oh yes, that's the mother of Haruka Urashima. She owns a tea show a little ways from here."

"Tea huh? Any chance I could get a hard drink somewhere?"

"Quarter till noon and you're ready to hit the bottle?"

"Its been a hard couple of weeks."

"Tell you what, I'm sure i can get Haruka to spice up our cups. I'll even buy the first round to welcome you to the neighborhood.

'_Couldn't hurt,' _he thought to himself,"Sure."

"Great, the names Okuda Ken."

"Wantanabe Issun."

"Good to meet ya, my car's over there."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"No, I didn't tell her anything. I…lied." Motoko was disgusted with herself. Lying to Shinobu was not something she would want to do again.

"But she definitely suspects something," Kitsune said as she folded her arms and shook her head, "she'll corner me again soon, I know it."

"Kitsune, you were always skilled at…bending the truth-"

"You mean lying Motoko," Kitsune interrupted, "lying to Shinobu isn't exactly how I like to spend my day."

"Kitsune," Keitaro scolded.

"Sorry, guess I'm a bit stressed."

"'I apologize as well, I did not mean to offend. It is because of my actions that we are in this situation."

"So," Keitaro asked, refocusing the group, "what do we tell Shinobu?'

"Well, she thinks Motoko's sick, so we should stick with that story."

"But you said she suspects something."

"What if I told her the truth," Motoko offered, she figured she would have to eventually.

"That you accidentally killed someone," Kitsune answered, "that's something she shouldn't know."

Unknown to the trio, two sets of eyes and ears saw and heard everything from the stairs. One of them gasped before they both ran from their perch.

"Oh my god," Shinobu said as she and Su ran downstairs.

"Its true! What do we do!" What do we do!"

"I don't know," Su yelled, "Motoko did it. She killed that woman in the paper!"

"Oh my god! I…I can't be here, I need to leave!" Shinobu was in a panic. She rushed to the front door, slipped on her shoes and ran outside.

"Shinobu wait," Su called as s he gave chase.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, what do you do for work," Ken asked as they arrived at Haruka's teashop.

"Nothing now," Issun answered with a sigh, "I took a leave of absence."

"That's too bad, what did you use to do?"

"I taught a business management course at Toudai."

"Toudai! Impressive! Why'd you quit?"

"Miharu taught there as well, I couldn't stay, too many memories."

"I see, well, here we are," Ken announced as they reached their destination, "I promise you the climb up the stairs is worth it. You go find a seat, I'll catch up in a bit"

Ken left him as he walked towards the back. "Haruka," he called as he knocked on the door in the rear, "I know you're in there, open up!"

Issun looked around the teashop for an empty table. The locals seemed to like this place, maybe his new acquaintance wasn't just blowing smoke after all. He took a seat just as Ken finished his conversation with the proprietor.

"Alright," he said as he sat down, "I convinced her to break open a bottle of the good stuff, told her you need it bad."

Just as Issun was about to give thanks, Ken cut him off by saying, "just look sad when she comes over."

Issun gave him a deadpanned look. "

"Here you go," a woman said as she sat a tray on the table. There was a floral pitcher of tea with two small porcelain cups. Just as Issun was about to fill his cup, he saw a patch of blue out of the corner of his eye. He turned to get a better look, but it was gone. If he had to take a guess, the blue patch, could it have been hair?

His question was answered by the next patch of hair that rushed by. This was blonde and pulled in a pony tail. The same hair he saw fly on a mechanical turtle that morning.

"Hey," Ken yelled to get Issun's attention, "you ok buddy? You blanked out there."

"Oh," Issun said, obviously knocked from his thoughts, "sorry, I think I know someone that lives here."

"You don't say," Haruka questioned with feigned interest as she came back with a bottle of liquor.

"Yeah…Keitaro Urashima?"

"Oh," she asked a bit surprised, "you know Keitaro?"

"I've seen him around." '_On a reaper's hit list.'_

"Is that right? Do you two go to the same prep school or something?"

"Nope," Ken answered for him, "this guy's been there and done that, he's a professor."

"Is that right," Haruka asked again. Ken offered her a seat, she gazed around to check on her other patrons, shrugged her shoulders as if she was content, and took a seat.

"Yes, at Tokyo U, I've seen him there a few times," Issun lied. Hopefully the lie would stick. Hopefully Keitaro's school of choice was Tokyo University.

"Yeah, that's his dream school. It wouldn't surprise me if he sits on the grass like a student."

Issun faked a laugh, "I'm sure a lot of hopefuls do the same thing."

"Hey, Ken began, putting himself back in the conversation, "Haruka, didn't you say your nephew runs the place?"

"Yes," Haruka answered while wondering why that fact was relevant.

"And is sun, you're a professor of business management! Maybe you can help Haruka out with her nephew huh?" Issun arched his eyebrows. "Maybe take on a protégé will take your mind off of things."

Issun looked away as he considered what was said.

"He's thinking about it," Ken said to Haruka as he poked her with his elbow.

In actually, Issun's thought were about death's contract. Today he woke up, cursing life in general and those who took his Miharu away. Now he could have a golden opportunity to get his wife back. Maybe that's why Henderson did not show himself again, because the six people that were supposed to die were still alive! He could do it! He could kill them all, in their own home, and have Henderson bring his wife back to him!

"Sure," Issun answered with a grin, "it will be my pleasure."


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: I like thank everyone for the hits, story favs and story alerts. I'd also like to thank the few that left reviews, either praise or flames are appreciated (although I'd like to know what caused the flames to begin with, maybe next time). I'd also like to thank the two people that gave a detailed review! To leave an opinion and pointing out flaws that I can work on, that does wonders for me, and hopefully will make this story better as it progresses!**

**Finally, I'm searching for a beta-reader if anyone is interested. I've re-read the chapters I've posted already and found god awful errors in punctuation and typos. I looked through the beta-reader menu a bit, but can't tell if any of the choices are active readers. So if anyone is willing to take it (and doesn't mind having the story spoiled to the very end), the job is open! Thanks again for the hits and reviews, keep the constructive criticism coming!**  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Haruka," Keitaro began as he entered the teashop, "what's this about, you wanted to see me?"

"Ahh yes," Issun spoke before Haruka could, "I recognize the boy, this must be Urashima Keitaro."

"Err….yes I am, and you are?"

"This is Wantanabe Issun," Haruka answered, "a professor at Tokyo U."

"Oh, nice to meet you," Keitaro offered.

"Likewise, there is actually something I would like to discuss with you. Do you mind if we speak in the inn?"

Keitaro blinked as his mind raced though the millions of reasons of why that would not be a good idea. Not only was the airport incident weighing heavily on the older tenants, he would be severely punished for allowing a male stranger to set foot inside Hinata Sou. Other than himself, the last male that entered the house was that fellow from the Fukinama Robotics Corp, and from what he heard from Su, the poor man left the inn, running for his life while screaming at the top of his lungs. Fortunately for him, Naru and Motoko were unaware of the visit, the representative could have been subjected to much…MUCH worse. Only one man could enter and leave the inn as he pleased, and that was Seta. Any other man would unknowingly walk into a traumatizing experience.

Sensing his hesitation, Haruka came to his rescue. "Sorry, but the Hinata House isn't an inn, it's an all girls dormitory, there would be a problem if men were allowed to go inside."

"An all girls dormitory," Issun repeated as he gave the manager of said dorm a quizzical look.

"It's a long story," Keitaro offered with a sheepish grin.

"I see, maybe if I explain myself there could be an exception." Issun congratulated himself on his performance so far, just a little more and maybe he could fib his way inside the dorm. "Ms Urashima and I were discussing your role as manager of Hinata Sou. From what I can see the building is very large, it must be difficult to manage on your own."

"Some days are harder than others but we get by." Keitaro was becoming more and more suspicious, what was going on? Is this something that Granny Hina set up?

"Good to hear, good answer," Issun nodded with approval, "Urashima-san, I am a professor of business administration at the university, and from what I've heard from your aunt, I would like to recommend you for a full scholarship to Tokyo University."

A moment of silence passed before Keitaro understood what he heard. "W-what! Really! H-how is-why me!"

"Relax Keitaro," Haruka scolded with a chuckle, "hear the man out before you blow a fuse."

Issun laughed, "It's quite alright, Ms Urashima, this could be a huge opportunity for the boy."

"I don't know what to say, "Keitaro gushed, "it's my dream to attend Toudai!"

"Yes yes, I'm well aware. But there are a few formalities before can grant you such an opportunity, and that involves entering the inn."

"Entering?"

"Yes, I have to see the condition of the building inside and out. I would also need to speak to a few of the tenants."

"Ooooh," Keitaro sighed, the wind had been snatched away from his sail. He couldn't allow the girls to go through that. There was enough stress in the inn at the moment. The last thing they needed was someone to inadvertently cause trouble while asking a few questions.

"Go ahead Keitaro," Haruka offered, "I'll smooth things over with the girls later." Keitaro arched an eyebrow at Haruka, then turned towards Issun, "could you excuse us for a moment?"

"Oh, no problem," Issun said as heroes from the table. He carried his cup of spiked tea outside the teashop door.

"What are you doing," Keitaro hissed after Issun was out of earshot.

"And here I was expecting you to thank me for finding this little nugget," Haruka said with a shrug as she shook her head.

"I don't mean that," Keitaro spat out, then realized he appeared to be ungrateful, "sorry, it's just…Naru and Motoko-"

"Shouldn't stand in your way of you and this golden opportunity," she finished.

"Haruka, it's not that simple."

His aunt wanted to press the matter, but decided against it. This was Keitaro's decision, who was she to try and force him into it? She shrugged her shoulders as she took another drag from her cigarette. "Fair enough, I'll tell him you're not interested."

Just as she was about to rise from her chair, Keitaro grabbed her hand. "Wait! I'll do it, it would be stupid not to right?"

"Without a doubt," Haruka answered with no hesitation, "whatever is bothering the girls shouldn't botch such a good deal."

Keitaro felt a pang of guilt at her words. He did not tell Haruka about the incident at the airport, and from the looks of it, she was still in the dark. He made a mental note to have a long discussion after the professor made his rounds.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Look at that, it seems bigger from the front step, it's almost intimidating," Issun said as he and Keitaro stood at the door.

"It's really not so bad," Keitaro said with a laugh.

"It must cost a small fortune to hire mechanics for general maintenance."

"Actually, I do all the repairs."

"You balance the finances and perform the repairs? Impressive! What do you plan to study at Toudai?"

"Uh…well, I haven't given it much thought actually."

"Really, but you have experience Urashima-san. To manage a place this big, you have to be quite skilled at what you do."

"Wow, I never thought of it that way, thanks."

"Oh there's no need for thanks. Show me around?"

"Sure." Keitaro pressed open the double doors and gestured Issun to enter. "Everyone," he announced, "we have a guest!"

Shinobu and Su were the first to come, their heads poked through the kitchen door frame. The ever social Su jumped at the chance to meet someone new.

"Hello," she squealed as she jumped and sat on her perch of Keitaro's shoulders.

'What's all the noise for," Kitsune asked with a yawn as she descended the stairs.

"Who is this, sempai," Shinobu asked from the door frame, only her head and fingers were visible.

"Everyone, this is Wantanabe-Sensei. He teaches business administration at Toudai."

"Oh really," Kitsune asked with a grin. She mentally put her fox tendencies on hold. Returning the mood to Hinata Sou was the highest priority. Then again, surely Keitaro felt the same way. Knowing the state of the place was in, why would he bring a guest? She held her tongue for the usually loud and overzealous objections of having a male set foot in Hinata, but they never came. Naru and Motoko were missing, Kitsune gave a mental sigh without losing her smile. '_Let things return to normal soon, please?'_

"Sensei here thinks I have a future at Toudai in management, so as Hinata Sou's tenants, he would like to interview you all about, and if it is well run or not."

"Sempai does a wonderful job here," Shinobu gushed immediately, "he tries his best to make sure everyone is happy here."

"Now now, there will be plenty of time for question answering later, but please be honest with your answers," Keitaro asked with scratching his head with a sheepish grin.

Issun watched as the group talked amongst themselves. He watched as they smiled at each other, as they laughed, as their eyes lit up as they expressed joy in one another. _'How dare they! How dare they carry on as if they haven't a care in the world!'_

He stared at their faces and felt nothing but hate and contempt. Here were four of the six of Henderson's list to keep his wife alive, four out of six of a group of murderers. There were two more from the contract, the two he saw running away as he cradled his wife, the one named Motoko was definitely not here.

"Is this all of the tenants," Issun asked. His question just happened to come as Keitaro was trying to quiet the others so that their guest could speak.

"Well…there are two others…but they are not feeling so well, a bit under the weather."

'_Oh, two of you feel remorse,' _Issun spat in his head. "I see, that's unfortunate, is there any way I could speak to them as well. I'll keep my questions as brief as possible, five minutes is all I will need."

Keitaro and Kitsune shot nervous glances at each other.

I'll see if I can wake Naru," Kitsune began, "Keitaro, you check on Motoko."

'_Motoko,' _Issun repeated in his head.

"Alright," Keitaro answered.

"Urashima-san, mind if I come along? Maybe make a walking tour of it?"

"Sure sensei. Shinobu, Su, we'll e right back."

"I'll make tea," Shinobu said as she gave a bow and scurried off. She made sure to take Su along, the last thing that was needed was one of her surprises to ruin Keitaro's chances.

"From what I've seen this building is very well kept, Urashima-san."

"Thank you," Keitaro said for the third time since meeting the professor. At that moment thankful for the decrease of Motoko and Naru's attacks that frequently destroyed the walls or sent him flying through the roof.

Issun's heart began to beat faster as they stopped in front of a door. "Please wait here for a moment," Keitaro knocked softly on the door," Motoko?"

Issun reached behind his back for a decorative sword he _borrowed _from the wall of Haruka's teashop.

"Motoko," Keitaro asked again.

Issun gripped the handle, his heart racing at this point. It was a simple plan really. He would greet Motoko, and as she returned his greeting, he would attack.

"Motoko, I'm coming in."

Issun bent his knees and dropped into stance. Maybe a quick ambush would be best, strike fast so that both Motoko and Keitaro would be dealt with before either knew they were in danger.

"Hmm…she's not here." Keitaro said from inside the room.

Issun's shoulders sagged, _'ehhhh!'  
_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Naru," Kitsune asked as she forced the lock open on the auburn hair's door. "Naru," she called again as she sat on the futon. The only response she received was shuffling under the covers. Naru did not want to be bothered. She turned so that her back was facing Kitsune. Kitsune shook her head, at least she was still alive in here.

"I won't' be here long. Keitaro bought a guest home, a professor from Tokyo U."

No movement from Naru.

"Keitaro has a chance for a full scholarship to Toudai, for management of all things," Kitsune said with a laugh. "He wants to speak to all of us, to see how well Keitaro does his job here. We might be able to put him into Toudai! Isn't that great!" She paused to give Naru a chance to speak, when no response came, she continued on. "What was his name? Wantanabe…Issun? Wantanabe-sensei! That was it! Anyways, can you speak to him? It would mean a lot to Keitaro."

Naru sat up in her bed, the covers were still over her head.

"Good," Kitsune said jumping the gun, "he will be here soon, I think he's talking to Motoko now." With that said Kitsune left the room, "make sure to wear something cute," she called over her shoulder, "if we're lucky, you might get into Toudai with Keitaro."

After she heard the door slide shut, Naru threw the covers off of the bed. Her eyes were wide with shock. She knew that name! She knew his name! Sweat began to form on her brow. Could it possibly bet he same person? And he was speaking with Motoko? Surely it was not the same person! There was only one way to find out. She crawled out of bed and walked towards her closet, a fresh change of clothes was in order.

Kitsune held a pleasant smile as she heard movement from Naru's room. Who would have thought that a chance to help Keitaro would bring her out of her room. Could it have been the last thing she said? No, that couldn't have been it. Ever since the incident, Naru has not left her room, missing prep school and study sessions with Keitaro.

"Helping Keitaro huh" Kitsune mused as she walked towards the common room. She thought of making a brief stop at her room first. There was a flash on her dresser that could spice up a cup of Shinobu's tea. She decided against it, no alcohol until Keitaro got his scholarship.

After a few more moments, Naru cracked her door ajar ever so slightly and peaked outside. The hall was quiet. Satisfied, she pushed open the door. The hall lights caught her off guard. She shut herself away in darkness for the better part of two weeks. She covered her eyes with her hands until they adjusted. Maybe her glasses would help? She went back to her room, and after a few minutes of searching, she opened her door again.

"Naru-sempai," she heard to her right.

"Oh…H-hello Motoko." Naru noted Motoko's attire. Her usual red and white hamaka was covered in sweat, she had just left the roof after training. Naru cursed herself, if she hadn't gone back for the stupid glasses, she would have avoided this chance meeting.

Her brows knit as she thought of something else, Motoko had just returned from training. She had actually left her room and continued her normal routine! That idea bothered Naru more than she would like to admit. Here she was, so guilt written that she refused to set foot outside. Her guilt kept her awake and night, allowed for a few hours of sleep during the day, lowered her normal food intake to less than half, and bought her social life to a screeching halt. Meanwhile, Motoko was able to carry on, business as usual! The gall!

The silence was long, awkward, and painful as Naru's mental rant continued. Motoko had thoughts of her own, she went out of her way to avoid being seen by anyone, especially Naru. Meeting her in the hall caused the events of the airport to flood back into her mind.

"Naru, I-"

"Motoko-"

They both spoke at the same time.

"Please continue Na-"

"Go ahead Mot-"

Their would-have-been conversation was cut short by footsteps down the hall. They both cast worried glances at the stairs, then at each other. If it was this difficult for them to talk to each other when they were both partners in crime, it would be nearly impossible to talk to anyone else. Both girls had the thought to run. Before they could put that plan into action, two more people were upon them.

"Oh, Motoko and Naru," Keitaro said as he rounded the corner, he was pleasantly surprised.

Both girls did not notice Keitaro, their attention was on his guest.

"Wantanabe-sensei, this is Narusegawa Naru and Aoyama Motoko.

'_Oh no! Kitsune! Why did you let him in here!'_

'_Oh god it's him! It's HIM!'_

Issun gave a polite grin, his thoughts were anything but polite. _'Which one! Which one do I cut first!'  
_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**A/N: Sorry for the cliff hanger, this chapter was originally longer but after completing the scene and rest of the day, it had to be cut in half. Hopefully the next chapter shouldn't take nearly a full month to upload. Actually, the next chapter only needs a beta-reader to pick through it, and then it will be ready for the press. Once again, thanks for reading. If something stands out, either good or bad, please let me know.**


End file.
